Quinta da Freixeira

Located on a 55,000 m² site in Lousa, within the municipality of Loures, the project is conceived as an integrated system where housing, services, and landscape are planned together. Quinta da Freixeira project’s main ambition is to generate a fair and inclusive community, while the urban environment offers a vibrant, safe, and friendly environment for all, while the proximity to nature ensures long-term well-being and freedom.

Two principles structure the proposal from the outset: the first is the reduction of emissions throughout construction, operation, and daily mobility; the second is quality of life at the neighbourhood scale, understood through walkability, access to services, and the presence of shared outdoor space.

The spatial organisation draws on the concept of the “fifteen-minute city”. The goal is to meet the needs of its residents, workers, and visitors by being able to create an environment and place that meets the contemporary demands of people and businesses, reducing dependence on private vehicles, and reinforcing the idea of a complete and legible community.

From a social, economic, and environmental point of view, the project emphasizes the sense of community and circularity through a self-sufficient set involving and integrating its residents.A network of shared outdoor spaces runs through the site, including informal living areas, vegetable gardens, exercise zones, and playgrounds. These spaces are positioned to support different rhythms, age groups, and forms of use, allowing domestic life, leisure, and collective activity to overlap naturally.

Complementary programmes extend the project’s social and functional range. A Senior Residence, a Continued Care Unit, and a Wellness Centre are integrated alongside cultural, educational, and leisure facilities, broadening local services while generating employment within the neighbourhood. Together, these elements reinforce the project’s ambition to operate as a lived environment rather than a mono-functional development.