REDO architects

The history of the existing Market hall is closely related to the evolution of the Padre Cruz neighbourhood which is located at the periphery of Lisbon. The area consisted initially of farmland named ‘Quinta da Penteeira’. The first historical surveys from 1907 indicate that the main walls housed a dairy as well as other agricultural facilities. In 1962, with development to the neighbourhood, the building was converted into a Market hall and expanded towards the east with a new volume dedicated to shops. The original structure was used as the main hall, complemented with processing areas. This traditional market layout was gradually transformed throughout the years and subdivided into additional shops. Today the lively Market is a driver within the day-to-day life of the neighbourhood, which has developed into one of the largest social housing hubs of the Iberian Peninsula under constant renewal and expansion.

The project proposes restoring the original Market hall through preservation and reinforcement of the main walls. The new Market space will be composed of permanent and flexible stall areas. This reset allows for upward expansion of the programme through the addition of a new first floor. Two staircases strategically placed at either end of the building create an access loop, a continuous walk, linking both floors. The first-floor hosts additional shops with direct access to the terrace, inhabited by outdoor sitting areas, combined with a spread of urban farming pods, representing a new local and global paradigm between consumption and production.

The empowerment of the existing market is enhanced by the addition of an overarching roof which expands the geometry of the former roof. This new structure partially carries the load of the first-floor shop volumes which are hung from the new roof. In addition, the widening of the geometry creates a new gallery along the length of the building while the extension of the roof towards the south creates a new atrium that can act as a temporary market extension, in which the walls are used to exhibit street art.

This oversized ‘hat’ defines the new identity of the Market within the neighbourhood, while at the same time opening up a new dialogue with its memory.