Marvila Padel Club, Lisbon, Portugal architecture photos, Portuguese building design images
Marvila Padel Club in Portugal
15 December 2024
Architecture: Salto Studio
Location: Marvila, Lisbon, Portugal
Architectural photographer: Salto Studio
Marvila Padel Club, Portugal
A once-disused industrial warehouse has undergone a remarkable transformation, emerging as the Marvila Padel Club in Lisbon’s east district. This sophisticated and innovative facility seamlessly blends the building’s industrial past with contemporary design elements, offering a unique space dedicated to padel and pickleball enthusiasts. The transformation pays homage to the area’s rich nightlife heritage, with a striking entrance object in a vibrant orange hue serving as a symbolic portico. Its bold, nightclub-inspired design links the building’s historic role with its modern reinvention, making a strong visual statement across the warehouse front.
The original structure, dating back to the early 1900s, has been thoughtfully refurbished with a light aesthetic touch. The renovation focuses on enhancing structural, thermal, and acoustic performance, creating an optimal environment for its new purpose. This careful approach preserves the building’s character while ensuring it meets the demands of a contemporary sports facility. A striking feature of the design is the introduction of five sculptural cylindrical objects strategically placed along a central corridor. These cylindrical forms break the rigid orthogonal grid of the courts, adding a dynamic flow that encourages exploration of the club’s various functions.
Each cylindrical object houses a key element of the program: a reception and shop, an office, a bar, and an amphitheater with a view of the central court. Positioned at the midpoint of the facility, these elements punctuate the circulation space, serving both functional and aesthetic roles. The changing and dressing rooms, essential to the facility, are nestled within the warehouse structure as an independent unit. Accessed via an intentionally mysterious corridor, the rooms reveal a unique terracotta-toned interior that opens upward to expose the building’s original roof structure. This “terracotta box without a lid” effect creates a spatially intriguing and atmospheric experience for users.
The materiality of the original building strongly informs the overall design. The cast iron finishes of the warehouse are echoed in the project’s terracotta-toned elements, from the bespoke court pitches and metal frame structures to the lacquered finishes of the cylindrical objects and the shower room tiles. This cohesive palette bridges past and present, grounding the contemporary interventions in the historic fabric of the building.
The project embraces sustainable principles, utilizing prefabricated construction methods for structural elements, partition studs, cladding boards, and joinery. This approach enabled rapid on-site assembly while minimizing the carbon footprint. An all-electric setup powers the club, with heat pumps supplying hot water and natural cross-ventilation eliminating the need for air conditioning. Bespoke benches with built-in planters, storage, and charging docks offer practical and stylish resting spaces adjacent to the courts. Meanwhile, the lounge and bar areas are outfitted with iconic Portuguese-designed furniture, enhancing the club’s relaxed and inviting ambiance.
This imaginative redevelopment preserves the industrial legacy of the warehouse while delivering a vibrant, functional, and eco-conscious sports venue. The boutique padel club is now a standout feature of “8 Marvila,” a testament to the potential of adaptive reuse in revitalizing historic spaces for contemporary use.
Marvila Padel Club, Lisbon, Portugal – Building Information
Architecture: Salto Studio – https://www.salto-studio.com/
Area: 3500 sq. m.
Year: 2024
Lead Architects: Andre Nave, Marco Dos Santos, Miguel O’Neill
Photography of the work: Salto Studio
Marvila Padel Club, Lisbon, Portugal images / information received 151224
Location: Lisbon, Portugal, southwestern Europe
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