18/06/2026
SÃO MARÇAL.
The story of an extraordinary (complex) ceiling and roof.
We go above and beyond, and behind the scenes.
Craft is always at the core of what we do at the Studio, as is a deep grasp of all the materials we need to understand, use, transform and translate into any final structural form.
Sometimes a project has technical complexities which take a turn for the unexpected, as we find things which demand a twist and turn to what was planned initially (which Architect hasn’t been surprised by what she/he finds?).
The wood structure of the inner roof at SÃO MARÇAL, which exposes a complex and delicate “net” which is almost Lisbon in a nutshell, was so intricately challenging to grasp that it became a symbol for the project itself.
A house which is apparently simple from the outside usually hides truly complex (and layered) secrets, and that happened here.
As the saying goes, Lisbon has the ability to play its tricks just right.
What you can witness here is part of an extensive, experimental and exhaustive renovation, and the visible side of a lengthy restoration and singular re-structuring work.
All these adjectives cannot hide one simple fact: how something up in the air defined everything which lies beneath.
Some challenges defy the odds, others become a sort of oddity, the best can provoke an entire overhaul (as did this).
SÃO MARÇAL has a particular beauty in its reconfiguration of size and scale, and managed to overcome many constraints and complexities by translating vernacular codes into practical solutions.
You’ll see soon how it turned out.
Above and beyond, and just about to happen.