FERREIRA BORGES STREET

Lisbon, Portugal 2024

Ferreira Borges steet constitutes one of the structural axes of the Campo de Ourique neighborhood, featuring an emblematic alignment of Mediterranean hackberries (Celtis australis), which serve as a key visual and spatial reference within the district’s orthogonal grid.
The intervention primarily aims to enhance comfort and safety in the use of public space, especially for people with reduced mobility, while ensuring the preservation of the existing tree alignment. It also seeks to emphasize the street’s distinctive character through a pavement design that, rooted in a typological matrix, fosters continuity, connection, and recognition of Ferreira Borges Street’s singular identity.
The proposal follows principles of modern design, seeking harmony and consistency with the site’s environmental, formal, and material context. The approach privileges the use and, when possible, the reuse of existing materials, particularly the limestone cobblestone paving, lioz limestone curbs, granite and basalt cobblestones, and existing urban furniture.
In summary, the intervention comprises the following actions:
• Removal of the tram line along the entire street and construction of asphalt pavement on the vehicular carriageway.
• Increasing the number of pedestrian crossings at intersections and junctions; widening sidewalks near crossings; redesigning and enlarging tree pits for existing trees; and installing reinforced pavement at garage entrances.
• Installing limestone cobblestone paving along the sidewalk strip adjacent to buildings, creating a “comfortable pavement” zone in lioz stone slabs, and building a section of white limestone cobblestone framed with black basalt between the tree pits.
• Relocating existing kiosks to ensure the continuous width of the comfortable pavement zone.
• Updating the traffic light system; constructing public telecommunications infrastructure (ITUR) to remove overhead façade cables; and upgrading the public sanitation network.