Designed by Atelier Bugio, the Lisbon's Graça Funicular breathes new life into a historic mode of transport, reimagining the connection between Rua dos Lagares and the Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen viewpoint.
The original Graça Funicular operated from 1893 to 1904 before being decommissioned in favor of a tram line. Over a century later, Atelier Bugio’s intervention revives this forgotten infrastructure, creating a modern, accessible solution that ascends 74 meters of track at a steep 31-degree gradient, overcoming a 44-meter elevation change.
Divided into four structural sections, the project not only adapts to the site’s challenges but transforms them into opportunities for architectural storytelling.The journey begins at Rua dos Lagares, where the station’s design establishes a quiet dialogue with its surroundings. The ground floor dissolves into the street, offering an understated threshold that belies the complexity below—a basement and a funicular shaft plunging over nine meters into the earth. Here, the design reconciles the weight of history with the demands of modern engineering, deftly navigating geological and archaeological constraints to root the structure firmly in Lisbon’s layered terrain.
As the funicular intersects with the lush expanse of Jardim da Cerca da Graça, the architecture embraces a moment of transition. The existing high retention wall posed a challenge, but instead of resisting, the design harmonizes with it, using its mass as a frame for the surrounding greenery. This delicate negotiation of structural necessity and natural beauty allows the garden’s presence to flow into the experience, turning a simple transit point into an immersive interaction with the landscape.
The central stretch of the funicular’s track, though seemingly utilitarian, offers a contemplative pause. It is a study in contrasts—movement against stillness, engineering precision against Lisbon’s sprawling, organic beauty. This section acts as a bridge, both physically and metaphorically, linking the tactile complexity of the lower station to the ethereal openness of the summit.
