The BSL Discovery Center project focuses on the rehabilitation, legalization, and expansion of the former Restelo Olympic Swimming Pool complex and its surrounding area, within the Os Belenenses Sports Complex in Lisbon, to accommodate the new facilities of The British School of Lisbon. The intervention is based on a differentiated approach to the two existing buildings: in the circular volume, it was possible to largely preserve and reuse the original structure and volumetry, adapting them to the new educational program; in contrast, the more orthogonal building required a complete structural reconstruction, while preserving its architectural language and urban presence, ensuring continuity and coherence within the broader sports complex.
The project is organized in a clear and intuitive way across three levels, following the logic of the existing buildings. The lower floors concentrate the school’s daily life, with classrooms, laboratories, and shared spaces directly connected to the outdoor playgrounds, while the upper floor accommodates quieter and more private functions, benefiting from visual relationships with the river. The extensions appear only where strictly necessary, primarily to resolve circulation and articulate the different built volumes, allowing the ensemble to be perceived as a single building. Outdoor spaces play a structuring role, extending the school into the landscape through landscaped platforms, play areas, and gathering spaces conceived as an integral part of the educational experience and children’s daily life.
Client
The British School of Lisbon (BSL), Lda
Address
Rua de Alcolena, Edifício Piscinas, Restelo, Portugal
Architecture
André Ferreira, Joana Castanheira
Team
Filipa Roma, Maialen Velarde, Francisca Coelho, Miguel Almeida, Flávio Ferreira
Construction area
3200 + 8000sqm of exterior spaces
Engineering
Graucelsius – Consultores de Engenharia, Gestão e Planeamento, Lda; Pointup High – Engenharia e Consultoria, Lda; Fer2Fire – Engenharia, Lda
Constructor
Domus Magna, Lda; Vedap SA.
