Architectural competition for the Health Center of the University of Évora
“Paisagem Habitada” is the concept that guided our design proposal for the University of Évora Health Centre: architecture that blends into the landscape, in constant dialogue with the Alentejo region. The complex is located in Quinta da Latoeira, on 4 hectares on the outskirts of the city, in direct connection with the future Hospital Central do Alentejo, contributing to the definition of a new centrality in an area that is currently rural. The building is divided into two main sections that form two rings with internal patios: the first, more vertical section, located on the upper floors, is dedicated to theoretical teaching, clinical simulation and administrative functions; the second section, a horizontal extension that follows the profile of the land, houses the university clinic, teaching pharmacy, laboratories, library, restaurant and auditorium. The interiors are designed to accompany those who pass through them naturally, while the patios act as green lungs, regulating the microclimate, filtering the light and bringing the atmosphere of the surrounding landscape inside. The structure interprets sustainability as a long-term vision: flexible thanks to a free structural mesh, designed as an nZEB building, capable of combining high-inertia materials, green roofs and passive strategies with the latest generation of active technologies, from photovoltaic panels to heat pumps. The Health Centre is thus conceived as a living architecture, designed to evolve over time, to accommodate new ways of training and to become a cultural and healthcare reference point for the entire region. A place where the landscape is not just a backdrop, but becomes the protagonist of a new idea of shared well-being and growth.