Condominio Cascais Residential Building by David Bastos Wins the Silver A' Design Award in Construction and Real Estate Projects Design

The Work

Project

Condominio Cascais Residential Building

Function

Residential Building

Category

Construction and Real Estate Projects Design

Discipline

Spatial Design

Industry

Architecture

Colors

Dark Slate Gray, Black, Saddle Brown and Sienna

Images

5

Client

DB Arquitetos

The Recognition

Laureate

David Bastos

Country

Brazil

Recognition

Silver A' Design Award

Edition

2025 - 2026

Design ID

#177103

Credits

Image Credits

Professional photographs from Fernando Guerra

Design Details

Unique Properties

This luxury residential project in Cascais, Portugal, is situated on an inclined plot of land with all of the houses oriented to maximize views of the sea and the Farol Santa Marta. The project presents two types of layers: two-and-a-half-acre units with piscines in the area of the highest floors and three-and-a-half-acre units with piscines in the area closest to the sea. This approach maximizes each resident's perspective. Using brise-soleil and elevated points in an exuberant landscape, the architecture combines natural, wood and glass with contemporary design solutions.

Inspiration

The design was primarily inspired by the resort's contemporary architecture and Biofílico design (connection with nature). It blends elements of tropical modernism, such as the use of open spaces, natural materials, and sun management through the use of telas and beaars, with the experience of life in the elevated passarelas. The idea is to create a quiet, solitary, and sophisticated environment.

Research

Research focuses on maximizing the unique panoramic views of the area sea and Farol Santa Marta. while minimizing the effects of the inclined terrain and strong coastal sunlight. This led to the development of two different, but similar, types of houses and their strategic placement: the lower units gain altitude for the view through several avenues and the piscina in the cover, while the higher units maintain the connection with the sole. The local climate analysis informed the design of a brise-soleil system to control solar and ventilation, ensuring comfort in external spaces and with a video facade.

Challenge

The most challenging task was to simultaneously optimize views and privacy in each unit while successfully adjusting to the terrain's inclination, Since the idea was for all the houses to face the sea and see the Farol Santa Marta, building houses in rows was unfeasible. In order to prevent the lower homes from obstructing the upper homes' view and compromising their privacy, the solution was to create roads displaced for the construction of the houses and place the pools in different levels.

Realization and Technology

The project's execution makes use of a contemporary concrete structure equipped for the volumes in the balancing of several avenues and subterranean storage. The facade combine high-quality natural materials, wood composts, and high-performance, low-emissivity video extensions. The solar protection characteristics are achieved by the use of brise-soleil metal that is manufactured under pressure or with perforated paints. Paisagism was designed to give residents privacy in layers supported by large wall of land containment and integrated drainage systems.

Operation and Interaction

The user interacts with the condominium as a highly private and integrated resort community. The residents enter through a controlled access point that leads to the subterranean establishment. From this point forward, the vertical access leads directly to the homes. The pedestrian flow is controlled by dedicated walkways and elevated, exclusive points that serve as platforms for circulation and observation, connecting units to common amenities like playgrounds, fogueiras, and natural gardens.

Project Duration and Location

The project was conceived in November 2017 and completed in November 2021. The project is located in Cascais, Portugal, while the design work was completed in Salvador-BA, Brazil.

Specifications

The project consists of luxurious apartments with escalated typologies, such as units of two or three floors. The units in the upper slope of the land consist of two pavements with private pools. The units in the lower of the land consist of three pavements with private pools with an infinite border in the covered area and extensive wood terrain. The building incorporates energy-efficient systems, such as electrical isolation, integrated LED lighting, and water collection for irrigation, supporting deep paisagism All of the units are oriented along the shoreline for maximum exposure to the sea.

Keywords

Luxury Residential, Condominium, Cascais, Portugal, Sea View, Farol da Guia, Modern Architecture, Biophilic Design, Indoor-Outdoor Living, Rooftop Pool, Private Garden, Elevated Walkways, Brise-Soleil, Contemporary Villas, Sloping Terrain.