Topos
Manteigas, Portugal
Infrastructure
3.600 m2
2023
From the Greek topos, meaning “place”, the project for the new plaza in Manteigas starts from a direct reading of its context. Set within a mountainous landscape, the town is characterised by a compact urban fabric organised around a dominant street where public facilities are concentrated. The proposal responds by activating a key urban gap and extending public life across the site’s changing topography, connecting lower areas to the main square above.
The intervention is conceived as a continuous architectural gesture that shapes the terrain rather than imposing a singular object. Due to the layered nature of the site and its differences in depth, the project accommodates multiple functions and uses along its length. In this sense, the plaza operates as a keystone within a sequence of squares and gathering spaces, structuring movement and social life through elevation rather than through formal boundaries.
The proposal is guided by the intention to create a public space that is not defined by a single programme, but open to temporary uses and seasonal change. Step by step and stair by stair, the change in height redefines the place, transforming circulation into occupation. Uniform elements, such as steps, benches, and planting beds, organise paths while encouraging people to pause, sit, and observe.
At the highest point, the project opens into a more formal square, offering multiple places to gather rather than a single focal point. Here, the design takes on the character of a natural amphitheatre, formed by a sequence of platforms that can host everyday activities, informal events, and spontaneous encounters. Framed by surrounding residential buildings, this upper plaza is conceived as a shared civic space shaped as much by use as by form.
Material choices reinforce the project’s relationship with place and time. Granite walls define steps and terraces, establishing a durable structure that supports continuous use and adaptation. Local stone paving gradually gives way to planting beds as the site descends, while vegetation responds to the natural gradient of the surrounding mountains, with larger trees at lower levels and smaller species near the plaza. Through this calibrated use of materials and landscape, the project frames public space as a living system, capable of evolving while remaining rooted in its context.
Status
Complete, Open Competition
Client
Manteigas Municipality
Design team
Diogo Sousa Rocha
Duarte Ramalho Fontes
Filippo Bravi
Wladimir Pulupa
Francesca Piccini
Joana Porto Saraiva
José Girão
Consultants
Adão da Fonseca – Engenheiros Consultores
FRAMAX
