The rehabilitation of the iconic Diário de Notícias building on Avenida da Liberdade posed a rare opportunity to reinterpret a national architectural landmark and inscribe a new residential program into its monumental structure. Designed in the 1930s by Porfírio Pardal Monteiro and awarded the Prémio Valmor in 1940, the building stands as a significant piece of Lisbon’s urban and journalistic history. The intervention by Contacto Atlântico drew inspiration from the building’s bold rationalist geometry, its cultural legacy, and emblematic artistic elements, including “frescos” by Almada Negreiros.
The key concept of the project was to preserve the symbolic and architectural essence of the building while adapting it to a new use: high-end residential living. This meant maintaining the historic façades, volumes, and key interior elements, while transforming spaces that once housed newspaper editors, typographers and printing presses into comfortable, elegant homes.
One of the main challenges was the adaptation of a structure originally designed for large-format newspaper production into units compatible with domestic functions. The building’s deep floor plans and limited light penetration required a careful spatial strategy to maximise natural lighting, especially in the upper levels. Technical constraints included working around the original structural grid, floor heights, and pre-existing service shafts while maintaining full compliance with seismic, acoustic and energy standards.
Construction techniques respected the integrity of the original concrete frame while introducing modern infrastructure and systems. Restoration work included the conservation of the listed façades and emblematic elements such as stone frames, metalwork, and Almada’s panels. Internally, new materials were chosen to contrast and complement the historic shell – oak flooring, white plaster finishes, bespoke carpentry and discreet metal detailing – all contributing to a contemporary but timeless aesthetic.
Spatially, the project reorganised the building into a collection of generous apartments distributed across five floors, with commercial use on the ground level. The top of the building is crowned by a penthouse – measuring 310 m² with a 130 m² private terrace and rooftop pool – that offers panoramic views of Lisbon’s skyline. This rooftop intervention symbolically links the past and future of the building, transforming a site of public memory into a space of intimate daily life.
This project is not only a successful example of adaptive reuse, but also a tribute to Lisbon’s architectural and editorial heritage – revived with new purpose and permanence.