Uncovered, Not Overwritten: República 48 by Francisco Tojal

Mar 1

3 min read

In this Lisbon apartment, the first gesture was to take things away.

On the Avenida da República, in the Avenidas Novas a few steps from Campo Pequeno, a 200 m² apartment has spent four years in the hands of an architect. The result, República 48, is not a showpiece. It is a lesson in restraint: what was hidden has been uncovered, what was in the way has gone, and what remains is light, proportion and a few honest materials.

Living room of República 48 with pale walls, timber floor and tall windows — The living room: pale walls, timber floor, tall windows.

From John Pawson's studio to Lisbon

Francisco Tojal studied architecture at the Universidade Lusíada in Lisbon. Between 2015 and 2017 he worked in London in the studio of John Pawson, the British architect whose name has become shorthand for minimalism, on the team for the new Design Museum in Kensington and for The Oaks, a hotel and spa in the Czech Republic. In 2018 he founded his own practice in Lisbon, Francisco Tojal Arquitectos, which works mostly on houses and apartments, many of them around Lisbon and Cascais.

At República 48 the project team was Francisco Tojal and Ana Pinto. The renovation took four years.

Less as a method, not as a style.

An avenue with a past

The Avenida da República was the backbone of the Avenidas Novas, the northward expansion of Lisbon at the turn of the twentieth century. Until the Republic of 1910 it bore the name of Ressano Garcia, the engineer behind the plan. Its early houses won architecture prizes: the Palacete Valmor, by Ventura Terra, was designed in 1906, and number 49 received the Prémio Valmor in 1923. Number 48 is an apartment building of balconies and a marble entrance hall, a short walk from the bullring of Campo Pequeno.

Façade of the apartment building at Avenida da República 48 in Lisbon — Number 48, on the Avenida da República.

What was found

The renovation began by looking. Rather than overwrite the apartment, the project brought forgotten details back into view, among them the building's original lift. Where something new was needed, it was added in lioz, the pale limestone of the Lisbon region, full of fossil shells some 120 million years old, long called the royal stone for its use in churches and palaces and recognised as a Global Heritage Stone Resource.

Entrance hall of the building at Avenida da República 48 with marble stair — The building's entrance hall.

Architecture not as spectacle, but as a way of living.

Rooms with nothing to prove

The apartment is organised around three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, and a fourth bathroom for guests. Five wardrobes are built into the walls so that the rooms stay clear. In the hall, a door hidden in the wall panelling opens onto the laundry. The kitchen was redesigned from scratch, in pale wood, with a tall column of cabinetry and open shelves.

Kitchen of República 48 with pale wood cabinetry, open shelves and window — The kitchen, redesigned in pale wood.

Tall column of wood cabinetry with built-in oven in the República 48 kitchen — A column of cabinetry, flush with the wall.

Corridor with built-in bookshelf and timber floor in República 48 — A corridor with a built-in bookshelf.

Light does the rest. Tall windows, white walls and timber floors let the rooms change through the day; materials are few and natural; details are quiet. The bathrooms play with contrast, from deep green marble to pale stone.

Bedroom of República 48 with bay window, white bed and timber floor — A bedroom opening onto a bay window.

Bathroom in deep green marble in República 48 — A bathroom in deep green marble.

Shower in pale stone in República 48 — A shower in pale stone.

The apartment today

República 48 has been sold through Wiseguys Properties: see the apartment's page. For another Portuguese architect's house in the Journal, read about the Maison Moderne by Fernão Simões de Carvalho.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Francisco Tojal?

A Portuguese architect who worked in John Pawson's London studio between 2015 and 2017 and founded Francisco Tojal Arquitectos in Lisbon in 2018.

Where is República 48?

On the Avenida da República, in the Avenidas Novas of Lisbon, near Campo Pequeno.

What is lioz?

A pale limestone from the Lisbon region, rich in fossil shells, historically known as the royal stone and recognised as a Global Heritage Stone Resource.

What did the renovation change?

Over four years it uncovered original details such as the building's lift, added interventions in lioz, built in five wardrobes, concealed the laundry behind panelling and redesigned the kitchen.

Is the apartment for sale?

No. República 48 has been sold through Wiseguys Properties.

Further reading: Lisbon Neighbourhoods: Where to Live, Read Through Architecture, and Art Deco Lisbon and After: Apartment Buildings of 1930 to 1960.

Sources: Francisco Tojal Arquitectos (franciscotojal.com); Wikipedia, Avenida da República (Lisboa) and Lioz; Património Cultural, Palacete Valmor. Photographs: Wiseguys Properties.