Adaptive
Rooms
Project Name
Portugal Elderly Home
Sector
Assisted Living
Location
Lisbon, Portugal
Year
2026
Project Status
Design Competition
Issuing Organization
Buildner
The Portugal Elderly Home rethinks assisted living as an active, connected environment embedded within the landscape. Rather than a singular object, the project is conceived as a porous system, one that opens toward its surroundings and fosters a continuous relationship between residents, nature, and daily life.
Organised around a central communal heart, the building extends outward in a series of stepped volumes. This configuration allows each dwelling to receive light, air, and long views across the terrain, while maintaining a strong sense of community and shared experience.
Positioned within a gently sloping rural setting, the project responds directly to the existing topography. The building footprint is carefully shaped to preserve natural contours, allowing the landscape to flow around and through the architecture.
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A network of pedestrian paths and planted terraces connects the building to its wider environment. This integration creates a layered public realm where residents can move seamlessly between interior and exterior spaces, reinforcing a daily connection to nature and the rhythms of the site.
The massing is conceived as a responsive system rather than a fixed form. Each floorplate adapts to orientation, light, and programmatic needs, resulting in a stepped geometry that mediates between human scale and the broader landscape.
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Terraces are not residual spaces but active extensions of the living environment, supporting outdoor activity, social interaction, and passive environmental performance. This approach enables a compact footprint while maintaining the spatial generosity typically associated with
low-rise living.
The project is structured around a continuous spatial sequence that balances privacy and collectivity. Private rooms are arranged along the perimeter, ensuring access to light and views, while shared spaces are anchored at the centre.
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This organisation allows movement through the building to unfold gradually, from intimate interior spaces to open communal terraces, creating a legible and intuitive environment that supports both independence and social engagement.
Each dwelling is organised as a clear sequence of spaces that balances privacy and openness. The layout extends toward a private outdoor terrace, allowing the living space to flow into the landscape. Generous openings bring in natural light and frame distant views, while a soft material palette creates a calm, domestic atmosphere.
At ground level, the building engages directly with its surroundings, extending the landscape into the architectural footprint. Open thresholds and shaded walkways create moments of transition between inside and outside, encouraging informal interaction and a sense of openness.
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The architecture acts as a mediator between built form and terrain, reinforcing a continuity of movement and experience across the site. This approach supports
a living environment that is both accessible and
socially inclusive.
The project is defined by a restrained material palette,
centred around pigmented concrete that anchors the building within its landscape. The soft tonal quality of the material responds to changing light conditions, giving the architecture a calm and enduring presence.
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Project developed at Auerbach Halevy Architects. Selected drawings and diagrams by Abigail Benouaich.
Some renders and schematic elements are based on original project materials.