The studio is a small storefront within an 18th CE historical Palace located in central Lisbon. Through time, the palace suffered several transformations, such as the conversion of the entrance halls into mixed-used commercial and office spaces facing the street. The first impact of the space was the lack of history and the very low ceiling, below the height of the windows reducing the incidence of natural light – a lower level in relation to the street where the high windows would frame the different parts of the ceiling. Something was wrong, we had to strip down the space and leave it bare. Then, from the original wooden beams from the mid 18th CE to the steel beams placed in a recent renovation, it became clear that we could read the history of this building through this uncovered ceiling. While exploring the references and Archetypes found in the palace, we were drawn to the traditional Portuguese brick vaulted ceilings behind a now enclosed space, which used to be a corridor from the patio leading to the horse stables. This Archetype would be our response to the issues we were facing and the history we wanted to tell. Through typological transformations, we manipulated the regular vaults according to specifics parameters of positioning and scale: measurement, identification, locations of the beams and the positions of doors and windows, all to ensure a maximum incidence of light in the studio. However, the construction process was paramount that it involved local materials and craftsmanship; thus the final stage of our conception became the beginning of a conversation, a journey, with the incredible carpenters with skills passed from generations, that made this a real, semi digital, but entirely manual process.
Vaults
Apparatus Architects
Bronze

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Bill Bouchey
Principal - Director of Design Interiors
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The dialogue between the scale of t...
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Tiffany Yao
Regional Workplace Manager
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Incredible attention to details. Th...
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Anika Hülser
Head of Interior Architecture
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6
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6.25

Kate Shepherd
Cofounder & Strategic Director
at The Future Collective
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Martin Mostböck
Founder and creative director at AID
at Martin Mostböck. AID - ArchitectureInteriorsDesign
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Aezad Muzaffar Alam
Co-Founder and Design Director
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Tola Ojuolape
Senior Project Designer
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Joe Cheng
Chairman
at CCD Cheng Chung Design
clever design of the ceiling to min...
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Christina Wissing Oppermann
Commercial Director
at Brandt Collective
6
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5
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5.5

Penny Craswell
Writer
at The Design Writer
6
6
8
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6.75

Zhang Jiliang
Vice President
at Greentown China Holdings
6
6
7
6
6.25
Designer
Client
Apparatus Architects
Floor area
63 ㎡
Completion
2019
Photographer