New Spaces 09 EN

The magician who plays with light Sunlight and shadows dance on the facades — Lisbon is justly famous for its glistening light. Equipped with Gaggenau appliances, the kitchens are the apartments’ communications centres. 123, into a luxury residential development. “It was a moment of unbelievable good fortune,” he says. Gonçalves drove to the site, where he sat day after day in the garden facing south to the river. “I observed the light from morning until evening on sunny days and rainy ones. I wanted to know exactly how the light breaks, how it changes, whether the adjacent buildings cast shadows and how the shadows wander across the walls.” Then he climbed up onto the red roofs and discovered much more: a view of the elegant Restelo-Belém district; the ultra-modern Centro Cultural de Belém, which is only fi ve minutes away and is built of the same stone as the Hieronymites Monastery; and the lighthouse tower, a symbol of safe passage for mariners and the hallmark of Lisbon. The devastating earthquake of 1755 spared this part of the city. Since the catastrophe, Rastelo-Belém has been the preferred place of residence for Lisbon’s wealthy citizens, aristocrats and diplomats. The Tagus River at this point is as wide as a lake. In the distance the “White City” rises up from the riverbank to the peaks of its seven hills. Gonçalves turns to face north, where Monsanto Park stretches as far as the eye can see. Mediterranean pines are intermingled with old trees brought from the former colonies. Night is slowly settling over Lisbon. Moonlight makes the Tagus glitter. For the architect, this is pure luxury. “This is the best site in the city for building an elegant, exclusive residential complex,” he says. Back in his atelier, Gonçalves didn’t go to his drawing board — “No, I almost never work there” — nor did he draw plans. He simply sat down before a large white canvas and began to paint, letting his newly acquired impressions of light, colours and materials, of the site and the character of the buildings nearby, fl ow into the River Houses project. Gonçalves is an artist, a virtuoso, a seducer who uses perspective to turn light, stone and glass into a changing fabric, a mannerist who plays with the vocabulary of contemporary architecture and a minimalist design idiom. Light, the river, the landscape and the urban context are all integrated; the outer form and the inner areas fuse seamlessly into a whole. He is an archaeologist who uncovers the substance of a structure, a passionate poet of space whose walls are never white, because light and shadow are engaged in a continual, constantly shifting dialogue. The property developers let themselves be seduced. Gonçalves was at the construction site every day for two years. “I was fortunate to get to know a few of the buyers personally, so we were able to generate ideas together. I designed the other apartments as if they were meant for me and my best friends.” Today the River Houses comprise four complexes with 14 spacious, light-fi lled apartments. It was possible to completely integrate the beautiful façade in the Rúa Pedrouços; one old mansion was gutted and two buildings were reconstructed. “When the door to the street closes behind you, you are immersed in a diff erent world,” says Gonçalves. The clear lines and the alignment are reminiscent of Bauhaus architecture, but the eff ect is not rigid, thanks to rolling lawns and pop art-like lighting. The fl oor lamps in the garden area balance out the stringent coolness. “Our everyday lives are chaotic enough,” says Gonçalves. “People go on trips just to feel time that is diff erent from their daily routine. Here one travels via a time machine to a place that is restful and relaxing.” It’s delightful to sit with a book under the pergola on the lightfl ooded terrace and “do nothing for the rest of the day but sink into this magical quality of time and occasionally lift one’s gaze to scan the surroundings.” In the newly constructed residential complexes the sunlight is refl ected on the green tiles, whose undulating surfaces suggest the delightful freshness of river water. “Fortunately, I was able to use only the best materials,” says Gonçalves. The fi nest jatoba wood, normally used in ships, was used for the parquet fl oors; the huge marble slabs in earth tones, clear shades of grey and pitch black come from the best Portuguese quarries. Rooms in the middle of the apartments which are normally dark feature light slits that create atmosphere. Gonçalves’ approach to darkness is elegant. He lets daylight fl ow in as though it were cascading through the interior, down from the third fl oor, along the staircase and into the cellar rooms. Transitions between the walls and the double ceilings are cleverly backlit with a narrow band of light to form a new “horizon”. Gonçalves loves to cook. The kitchens are meticulously thought out and completely equipped with Gaggenau appliances. “I wanted to make sure that one could walk all the way around the range, which is equipped with induction cooktops,” he points out. Everything you need is within easy reach. Smaller kitchen utensils, as well as the fridge-freezer combination, the dishwasher and the microwave, are just an arm’s length away. Gonçalves believes the kitchen is a centre of communication and should be integral to a residential interior. “From here there is an unobstructed view of the living area, and the garden is right outside the fl oor-to-ceiling sliding glass door,” he says. He has created a unique ensemble, “a little paradise, where the rooms breathe”. There’s a feeling of an architectonic space with its own poetry, tones and rhythm. Gonçalves is a magician of light. He is also a researcher who cites the past in the present, writing the ongoing history of a place that is located somewhere between the enchanted trees of the holy mountain Monsanto, the White City and the Tagus. ¤ Further information www.aacg.pt Projects 47

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