The Estufa Fria, Lisbon's greenhouse

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The Estufa Fria is Lisbon’s most exceptional greenhouse. It was built on the top of a deactivated basalt quarry, used for decades as a deposit for plants brought in from other parts of the world. As the years went by, the plants began to "cling to the place" and the idea of transforming it into a greenhouse took shape.

It opened to the public in 1933, with a project by the artist / architect Raul Carapinha (1876-1957), and it was expanded in 1975, with the construction of the Hot Greenhouse and the Sweet Greenhouse, for tropical and equatorial plants.

Several circumstances led to successive interventions of great quality but of narrow scope – the exterior arrangements and the main façade (Keil do Amaral, 1949), the “nave” (Edgar Cardoso 1950’s), the recent restoration of the shading structure which was in risk of collapsing (J. P. Falcão de Campos + Appleton & Domingos, 2013).

Now that Lisbon has kicked off the year as European Green Capital 2020, the Estufa Fria deserves a comprehensive project to unify and dignify the various past interventions and to connect this exceptional garden to the adjacent city's green corridor.


Lisboa Architecture Walks & Trips joined a guided visited to the Estufa with the architect J. P. Falcão de Campos. The event was organized by the Garagem Sul, as part of the exhibition Architecture and Agriculture: taking the country’s side.

The intervention by J. P. Falcão de Campos (with Appleton & Domingos, 2009-13) enhanced the quality of the space and the interior environment of the greenhouse and opened-up the way for future and more comprehensive interventions, including a better articulation with the surrounding park and the city.


Post and photo credits: Lisboa Architecture Walks & Trips

Keywords and tags: #estufafria #greenhouse #garden #contemporaryarchitecture #lisbonarchitecture #portuguesearchitecture

Location: Lisboa, Portugal

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