Casa Martins Lázaro

This project - Rua da Liberdade 30 - was designed in 1959 by architect Manuel Gomes da Costa (1921-2016) for Fernando Martins Lázaro: it consisted of the construction of two houses with two bedrooms and a commercial building on the ground floor. Located on the busiest street in Tavira descending to the river Gilão against the remains of the fortified city.

The houses have two bedrooms on the facade, so that the kitchen is lowered and the living room is placed in an intermediate position. To get daylight into the rooms, he used two rectangular patios, which are interrupted at the first floor. Only the bathroom of the bedrooms has no windows.

The stairwell, which has a first part with radial steps, goes up to the terrace, together with a ventilation duct that opens prismatically to the roof. From there you can see the stone walls and tower of the medieval fortress, which has now been converted into a botanical garden.

The eaves are classic: classic for the architect's work. A kind of subdued baroque spirit can be seen here: the vitality of light and shadow, the alternation of massive and open. The superimposed galleries try to hide their symmetry through the nonchalant placement of the wooden bars, in fixed places and painted green.

The railing of turned, ceramic and traditional balusters flanks the lightweight metal parapet on the right. The dividing facade is perfectly integrated into the complex, stunning and merging with the facades on each side in the Rua da Libertdade.