TVP11 is a 22m² apartment renovation in Lisbon’s old city centre, close to the Palácio de São Bento, a prominent neoclassical landmark and seat of the Portuguese Parliament since 1834. The apartment occupies the ground floor of a 19th-century building. Positioned on an uneven corner street, one façade is level while the other slopes, making the apartment partially underground. The apartment’s limited floor area and almost 5m ceiling created a very particular set of conditions. Rather than trying to fit all the functions within the restricted footprint, the intervention takes advantage of the available height, developing upwards to maximise the existing space.

As a long-term rental, the apartment needed to accommodate all the functions of a home while maintaining privacy between them. A central structure introduces a second level, increasing the usable surface and concentrating the more private functions within the new volume.

The abundance of windows was fundamental to the design. Rather than extending the new structure across the entire floor, it occupies two thirds of the space, remaining detached from the windows. This preserves natural light and keeps the main social area at full height, creating a greater sense of scale.

The existing architecture was carefully preserved. The original windows were retained and the main stone wall left exposed, while the remaining walls received a thin protective coating that preserves their original texture. The new structure houses the bedroom on the mezzanine and the bathroom below, allowing the living areas to remain open and naturally lit.

The intervention was developed in three stages: treating the existing shell, introducing the new vertical module, and designing a series of objects around it.

At the entrance, a thin white metal structure with acrylic panels defines a private threshold without closing the space. The stainless-steel kitchen is completely detached from the existing walls and mezzanine.

The bedroom is accessed by a staircase alongside the new volume. Its railing combines a low wooden element, creating a subtle headboard, with a tubular metal rail that surrounds the mezzanine without obstructing light or views. The metal element continues to the floor and connects directly to the dining table, becoming a continuous central object.

Storage is integrated throughout the apartment. A three-step system beneath the windows provides technical storage, while a full-height wall beside the kitchen houses appliances and incorporates the bathroom door. A second wooden storage wall occupies the mezzanine.

Where the storage meets the irregular stone walls, recessed mirrors fill the gaps between the two surfaces. Reflecting the stone, they visually disappear and create the impression of a continuous wall, allowing the new elements to adapt to the existing architecture without competing with it.

TVP11 uses the vertical dimension to create a compact home where each function has its own identity, while maintaining visual continuity, natural light and the character of the original building.