Archaeological Museum of Praça Nova by João Luís Carrilho da Graça

The Nucleo Arqueologico hitherto was revealed to the public in 2010 through a subtle and elegant project by João Luís Carrilho architect da Graça.

Among them, the Islamic “neighborhood” is protected by a vast white concrete building that looks like contemporary walls floating above the ancient ruins.

Architects: João Luís Carrilho da Graça
Location: Lisbon, Portugal
Photography: FG+SG, Vincent Leroux

In 1996, an archaeological excavation campaign begins within the walls of the Castle São Jorg and reveals the traces of several successive periods of installations: homes dating from the Iron Age, houses of the medieval Muslim period, and the remains of the Palace of the Counts of Santiago.

Inspiration from architect:

for the protection of the eleventh century muslim domestic structures and its frescoes was taken as an opportunity to reproduce, through conjectural interpretation, its spatial experience as a series of independent rooms arranged around a patio that introduced light and ventilation into an otherwise exterior isolated dwelling.