Samstag, 14. März | 15.15
Townhouses | Marvilla Housing
The work of Atelier Bak Gordon, developed over the past 30 years, has consistently been guided by a sensitive and poetic approach in which the relationship with place and context plays a central role in the architectural equation.
This is why we often speak of continuity. We believe that architecture is shaped more by continuity than by rupture – that it evolves through a sustained, sympathetic dialogue with its surroundings. This process fosters a certain timelessness, where each project contributes to a broader narrative of place, material, and memory.
This lecture presents a series of single-family houses built in Lisbon – projects deeply rooted in their contexts, yet shaped by highly specific and exceptional functional programs.
Each house is the result of an in-depth dialogue between the architect and the families who will inhabit them. From this close collaboration arises the complexity and specificity of each built work, where all the foundational values of architecture – scale, proportion, light, shadow, material, density, and lightness – are thoughtfully considered.
Equally important is the specific context of Lisbon’s historic neighbourhoods, which demands a heightened sensitivity to integration, particularly when the goal is to foster continuity. These houses are sited on plots that are typically part of existing urban blocks – sometimes presenting a single façade to the public space, and in other cases, occupying prominent corners or block edges.
With a strong belief in the values of atmosphere and comfort, these projects are developed with special attention to constructive detail – an essential aspect of the architecture’s relationship with those who experience and inhabit it.
Also presented is a collective housing building created through the adaptive reuse of former wine warehouses, located in an industrial area of the city now undergoing profound transformation. Marvila – on Lisbon’s eastern edge, open to the Tagus River – is currently in an exciting phase of renewal. New, cosmopolitan communities are arriving, drawn by the area's urban character and the spirit of architectural experimentation that the reuse of industrial buildings has allowed.
This project – an exercise in designing shared and collective space, and a kind of catalyst for a new community – is likewise conceived in the spirit of continuity.
Ricardo Bak Gordon has been leading Bak Gordon Arquitectos since 2000.
Since then, he has developed a wide range of projects across various scales – from residential spaces to public and collective buildings – with particular emphasis on educational facilities.
His work, both in Portugal and internationally, is marked by a deep sensitivity to place and context, as well as a focus on creating lived-in atmospheres that convey a poetic sense of space.
Alongside his architectural practice, he has been engaged in teaching for over 30 years, having taught at several institutions including the Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa, Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL), Escuela de Arquitectura at the Universidad de Navarra, IUAV University of Venice, and the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University.
Townhouse, Lissabon 2024
Foto: Francisco Nogueira