HABITAR PORTUGAL 2009-2011

Santos-o-Velho Mortuary Chapels belong to the Holy Martyrs Church, in Lisbon. The access to the venue is done from the north facade of the building, where the expression of the Church’s mannerist is reveled.
A white strip of painted steel coats the facade of building at the base level. This new materiality merges with the existent building, bordering an enclosure that host users before entering in the chapels. Several elements highlight the symbolic meaning of the program, namely the grid for the vegetation, the brass door of the lift, the cypress tree, and the heavy access door to the church’s cryptic where the Mortuary Chapels are located.
Down until the intervention level, a sequence of spaces flows out in long corridor, which is directly related with the Chapels’ interior. A suspended bench was deployed in all the corridor extension, providing a particular perspective to inside of these sacred spaces. In front of it, A wall of oak wood blades and glass, filter the light and intimacy, mediating both social and sacred areas.
During the day, natural light intersects the thickness wall of the building, through the ceiling tangent windows, fulfilling the corridor as a box of light. During the night the direction of light is inverted, coming from the core of Chapels producing a dramatic diversity of shadows in the corridor.
The atmosphere of the project, characterized by its warm materials and all the original furniture designed for the area, contribute to the necessary serenity to the funeral ceremonies.