Renovation of the House of Spikes / José Saramago Foundation

Casa dos Bicos is located in Campo das Cebolas in the Lisbon historical waterfront. Originally built in the 16th century, the building was destroyed during the powerful earthquake of 1755. In 1983, on the occasion of the XVII Exhibition of Science, Art, and Culture of the European Council, architects José Santa-Rita and Manuel Vicente developed a project for its rehabilitation which proposed the reconstruction of the two upper levels of the original building.

The project was carried out but construction work of the interior spaces of Casa dos Bicos was never fully completed. Following the Exhibition, up until 2009, the building was used for several purposes but, somehow, never achieved its ambition and due glory as a work of great public dimension. Finally, in 2009, the Lisbon Municipality decided Casa dos Bicos would house the José Saramago Foundation, created to preserve the work of the 1998 Nobel Prize winner author, as well as an exhibit space on the ground floor centered on a museography program related to the walls of the city. This decision by the Municipality not only provided an opportunity to complete the work in all interior spaces, but also fostered the development of a new concept and understanding for the interior.

Although the project preserved the main aspects of the existing Casa, such as the central space with its four stories, it introduced a new kind of nature: this is reflected in the division of the existing open space, the materiality of the new elements, and the play of colors, varying from the ground floor to the attic of the Casa. Naturally, the library become one the most significant new spaces and it articulates the third floor and the attic space, creating a strong reference in the interior.