Domingo
Almada, Portugal
Housing
1.373 m2
2022
DHA Housing is a residential project developed for a corner site defined by the convergence of buildings, a park, and a public square. The proposal begins from a central question: can green and open spaces contribute to a stronger sense of belonging and improve everyday urban experience? Rather than addressing this condition through a singular architectural object, the project adopts an integrative approach, extending its scope to the surrounding public realm.
The building is conceived as an urban gesture capable of operating beyond its footprint. Its primary objective is to clear the ground level, removing physical and visual barriers and allowing the space beneath the building to become part of everyday urban life. By lifting the volume, the project establishes continuity between the square, the adjacent park, and pedestrian flows, transforming the first floor into a shared civic ground rather than a private threshold.
This strategy was recognised by the jury, who highlighted both the ambition and coherence of the proposal. Beyond the architectural solution, the project was distinguished for its engagement with the adjacent park and square, presenting a unified response that combined building and landscape into a single urban system and resulted in a work of notable architectural quality.
Formally, the building responds to its topographic condition. Located at the meeting point of two slopes, the volume is shaped to react to the terrain, shifting and breaking across levels rather than assuming a static posture. The building twists along the contours of the site, allowing its upper floors to adapt while maintaining permeability and openness at ground level.
The architectural expression reinforces this sense of movement. The façade is composed of prefabricated concrete panels clad in tiles, arranged in a mirrored sequence that reflects light differently across the surface. Balconies, also prefabricated, extend in and out of the façade, varying from apartment to apartment and introducing depth and rhythm. The interaction between concrete and tile, combined with the changing tones of the podium, allows the building to register daily activity and shifting light, avoiding monotony through variation.
Internally, the housing units are organised through a controlled balance between rigidity and openness. Fixed elements establish structure and privacy, while spatial voids allow for appropriation and flexibility. In this way, the apartments mediate between individual domestic life and collective urban experience, reinforcing the project’s ambition to connect dwelling, movement, and public space within a cohesive architectural framework.
Status
Built, Public
Client
Almada Municipality
Design team
Diogo Sousa Rocha
Duarte Ramalho Fontes
Marta Meirinhos de Castro
Joana Milhais Ferreira
José Queirós
Riccardo Bettini
Filippo Prodi
Federica Simoncelli
Federica Vacca
Agnese Lombardini
Ricardo Domingues
Diogo Parente Mina
Patricia Moreira
José Girão
Consultants
Oh!Land Studio
Adão da Fonseca – Engenheiros Consultores
Framax
Sincrono