This project is located on the seafront avenue of the bay of Funchal. Its aim was to reconvert the two buildings affected by the street widening operation and to install a lift tower to link the avenue and the cliff top where a casino and a conference centre are located. The existing building’s programme consists of various discotheques, bars and the lift atrium.
The site is a narrow strip of land bordering and limited by the avenue, and by the cliff side; the two buildings fill the space. The rocky cliff and the adjoining areas are part of Santa Catarina Park, Funchal’s largest public garden.
When looking at the park beautiful scenery of gardened terraces, trees and luxuriant plants clothing the basaltic rocks and extending from the top of the hill down to the avenue on the waterfront, it is hard not to notice the awkward setting of the buildings.
The intent of the project was to extend the park over the buildings and provide a new composition for the whole.
