Located in a privileged area of the metropolis, the new Nautical Center of Lisbon aims to give the city a new space to enjoy its riverfront. Filled with warehouses, industries and some reclusive nightlife, the area lacks leisure activities close to the river as well as nautical sports support. With a winding set of volumes, the Nautical Center of Lisbon is projected onto the Tagus River in a constant dialogue between water and land that enriches the user’s experience inside and outside the building.

The Center consists of a nautical school equipped with classrooms, gym, swimming pool, training tanks, nautical equipment warehouse, among other administrative spaces. It also has areas opened to the general public such as the library, the restaurant and the theatre. These spaces benefit from a great visual connection and dynamic with the boat launch ramps and with the small basins resulting from the disposition of volumes in the water.

Outside, the pedestrian is subtly led to the entrance of the building by the waving paths of the garden, whose design replicates the formal concept of the building. Three possible entries are then offered, each corresponding to a different set of activities. The Center is divided in three main blocks anchored at the pier: a public one, a semi-public and a private one. From these, two other volumes are lifted in the air making a connection. Under their arcs pass the boats from the school.

Altogether, the center functions as a generator of life and movement in this noble zone of Lisbon, where water meets land and men can fully enjoy the river that bathes the city. For all age groups it is here created a new lure, a reason and will to come and take advantage of this space, of the school, the green and the blue.