Boavista Housing 5205, a residential development in Porto, Portugal, designed by international architecture, design, and planning studio A43, has won the 2026 BIP Global Architecture Award in the Multi-Residential category.
The BIP Global Architecture Awards recognise outstanding architectural projects from around the world, and honour the architects and companies behind them. Part of the Best International Project platform, the awards celebrate excellence in architecture across diverse typologies, scales and geographic contexts.
The jury recognised A43 for demonstrating how contemporary multi-residential housing can provide the privacy, spatial clarity, and contextual sensitivity more often associated with individual homes. In doing so, the project addresses one of residential architecture’s enduring challenges: reconciling higher-density housing with the qualities of individual homes.
Mediating between city, park and coastline
Boavista Housing 5205 occupies a site between Porto’s dense urban fabric, Parque da Cidade, and the Atlantic coastline. A43 addresses these contrasting conditions through a carefully scaled composition that moderates the building’s perceived mass while maintaining a clear relationship with its surroundings.
Horizontal planes organise the building into a series of distinct layers that reinforce human scale, while vertical elements anchor the composition to the site. Together, these elements reduce the perceived mass of the development while giving it a distinct architectural identity.
The same disciplined approach continues through the planning and detailing of each residence, maintaining a consistent architectural language from the building’s urban form to the scale of individual homes.
Reinterpreting collective housing through spatial planning
Boavista Housing 5205 rethinks collective housing by giving each residence a greater autonomy and a stronger sense of individuality. Independent entrances, duplex layouts and private vertical circulation give each residence a distinct sense of arrival and identity, introducing a level of autonomy and privacy rarely associated with multi-residential developments.
This departure from conventional shared-access apartment buildings changes how residents experience higher-density living, giving each residence a distinct identity more commonly associated with detached housing.
Within each dwelling, social and private functions are separated across two floors, creating a domestic arrangement that balances openness with retreat. In the jury’s assessment, this approach shows that increased residential density need not compromise the qualities traditionally associated with individual homes, demonstrating how higher-density housing can offer greater privacy and a stronger sense of individual identity.
Light, landscape, and unique material
Daylight shapes the organisation of the homes. Interior patios introduce natural light and ventilation into private areas, while the duplex arrangement creates a clear vertical sequence between social and private spaces. Carefully positioned openings enhance views of the surrounding landscape, and rooftop terraces extend the living spaces towards the park and the Atlantic.
Together, these elements create greater spatial richness through the interplay of section, light, and landscape.
Material selection also influenced the jury’s assessment. Marble, solid timber flooring, lacquered carpentry, and minimal aluminium framing are used consistently to reinforce the project’s restrained architectural character while prioritising durability, longevity, and construction quality.
Passive design measures, including natural ventilation, solar orientation, and daylight optimisation, are integrated into the architectural planning, while the DomusQual and DomusNatura certifications verify construction quality and environmental performance.
A coherent architectural vision
The project’s defining strength lies in the consistency with which every design decision supports the overall architectural approach. From the original concept through volumetric composition, spatial planning, and material selection, every design decision is reflected in the completed homes. This continuity ensures the project’s original design intent remains evident throughout the development.
Ultimately, Boavista Housing 5205 reconciles residential density with qualities traditionally associated with standalone homes, demonstrating that contemporary multi-residential housing can offer privacy, spatial clarity, and a strong relationship with its surroundings without compromising architectural discipline.
“A quiet yet striking presence. Between light, silence and presence, this building becomes more than a place: it becomes an experience, where feeling and living intertwine. To inhabit these spaces is to allow emotions to find a home within the soul, transforming each gaze into an invitation to a new way of living.”
– Mendes Pinheiro
About A43
A43 is an award-winning international architecture/design studio with a studio in Portugal (Vila Nova de Gaia – Porto) working globally in various markets.
With an interdisciplinary practice, we combine expertise in architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, and planning, with integrated sustainability and urban design capabilities.
We focus our architectural research on a new innovative approach to architecture, combining science and art in an attempt to understand the relationship between the environments/spaces, people, and their perception.
We are the bridge between architecture and emotions.
Contact Details
Rua Elias Garcia, 147, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
+351 22 370 3057
E-mail: a43@a43.pt
