In August 1988 a fire destroyed eighteen buildings in the historic Chiado quarter, and since then the area’s recovery has been carried out in different phases. Aside from the reconstruction of the demolished volumes, the project takes the opportunity to remodel the whole urban context. The intervention includes, therefore, the pedestrian paths between the lower part of the Chiado and the ruins of the Carmo Convent, which had been lost in the fire but had existed before and was worth recovering due to its strategic location.

The topographic complexity of the area, with a drop of over twenty meters, called for a meticulous operation able to revitalize the residual spaces and create a continuous itinerary. Through a passage from Garrett street one reaches the interior courtyard block, where a ramp and zigzagging stairs ascend towards the base of the Carmo Convent. Around the monument, a series of intertwined platforms create rest areas and lookouts towards the downtown area of the city. All this is achieved using the same type of calcareous stone and imitating the color of the rendering, to minimize the presence of the intervention across from the historic center.