Labirinto

LABIRINTO | The Urban Hedge Maze creates an intimate pedestrian-focused campus in the infamously stigmatized Alcântara Valley of Lisbon, Portugal. An intricately crafted network of courtyards, pathways, and the extension of Lisbon’s green belt; the campus works to prioritize the human scale while moving throughout. Paying tribute to neighboring Campo De Orique, Labirinto samples the historic courtyard block grid and inverts it, bringing the primary functionality into the internal courtyards. Labirinto connects these courtyards through a series of connections created through analysis of topography, exterior connections, and circulation. Labirinto uses these courtyards to define program, creating educational, social housing, mixed-use, and strictly residential cores scattered throughout. The network works for the community, connecting different cores in a purpose-driven fashion. Labirinto creates intentional movement throughout the campus, while also creating opportunity for leisure. Primary and secondary movement create different routes for different activities, and allow each visitor to find their own pocket to connect with.