The Pastoral Center of Moscavide is composed by a set of facilities that include catechesis rooms, funeral chapels, and the parish residence.

The proximity and connection with a building that applied to become architectural heritage with national interest (the Church of Santo António of Moscavide), provided premises for dialogue and framing.

The two buildings stand out as landmarks of two periods that, although different, complement each other as reference points in the community.

Conceptually, the architects projected a simple volume in articulation with the somewhat monolithic adjacent church.

At the same time, the new building presents contemporary details, namely in the materials used such as: concrete, the white walls within the space volumetry, and the connection of the building with the surrounding natural light, which was always present throughout the project.

The differential use of in-house spaces due to their different valences dictated the programmatic display that progressed from public to more private spaces, leaving behind, in a more isolated and introspective environment, the access to the funeral chapels.

Across the Avenue of Moscavide you can access the main entrance of the building and the parish residence, while crossing the whole center, in close connection.

The great central skylight that unifies all the space shines onto the interior of the building a light that is high, strong, and constantly present.

In addition, the sunlight also shines onto the resurrection chapels, creating an analogy with the gospels, characterizing space and emboldening the moment.

The slender lamellae lining the entire facade dematerialize and soften its austere volume, providing a spiritual and incorporeal atmosphere, whereas in the interior, deliver a sensation of shelter and introspection while enjoying the view and light.

The final result is a simple, clean, elegant, authentic and almost rude building in terms of materiality, which together with the volumetric work of the spaces, and the crosstalk between natural and artificial light, results in a graphic building that transports us to an ethereal, liturgical and iconographic atmosphere.

Data Sheet

Project Name: Centro Pastoral de Moscavide

Location: Moscavide, Portugal

Architect: Plano Humano Arquitectos
| Pedro Ferreira, Helena Vieira

Design Team: Ana Figueiredo, David Raquel, Margarida Marques, Manuel Dinis, Yara dos Santos, Vanessa Ferrão | Intern: Nuno Roque     

Engineering: GAPLR | Luis Reis, Ana Henriques, Hermano Henriques, Nuno Santos, Ana Silva, Armando Venâncio, Sérgio Oliveira.

Client: Paróquia de Santo António de Moscavide

Main Contractor: Odraude

Use: Religious

Area: 1729 sqm

Project Year: 2016

Photografy: João Morgado

Prizes

Won the category of Architectural Design / Institutional Architecture from “The American Architecture Prize” 2017, one of the most reputable architectural awards in the world.

This award, whose ceremony took place in New York, evaluates projects in the field of architecture, interior design and landscape architecture, with the aim of valuing architecture worldwide, based on excellence in design, innovation and function. The prizes are evaluated by an eclectic jury that brings together some of the most important names in the area, such as Philip Stevens, publisher of the prestigious design boom site; Troy Therrien, architecture curator of the Guggenheim Foundation and Museum and the renowned architects WillAllsop, Sam Jacob and Joshua JihPan.

Recently nominated for the award Prémios Construir ’17 in the category of best building of the year.

About Plano Humano Arquitectos Atelier

Plano Humano Arquitectos Atelier is an architectural atelier founded in 2008, by the architects Helena Vieira and Pedro Ferreira and is based in Lisbon, with activity in Portugal and abroad (e.g. Angola).

One of the most characteristic features of Plano Humano Arquitectos has been the constant seek to explores new materials, techniques and systems in order to define buildings and spaces while exploring classical and cutting-edge technologies.