Description
The Jewish Museum Lisbon will portray the history of Jewish life and culture in Portugal, specifically in Lisbon. It will share the message that Jewish heritage is indissoluble in the country’s history and celebrates the value of cultural differences, thus promoting inter-religious integration.
The building’s volume is articulated into five distinct segments—trapezoidal or triangular in plan—that subtly vary in height, ranging from 10 to 15 meters. This modulation mirrors the traditional building scale of historic Lisbon, lending the structure a sense of contextual human-scaled continuity.
Embedded within the architecture are the four Hebrew letters that spell “TIKVA”—meaning Hope—each manifesting as an inclined wall. These sculptural elements are not merely symbolic; they actively define the interior spaces, shaping rooms, corridors, bridges, atria, and skylights.
A material dialogue reinforces the interplay between past and present. The vertical walls are finished in a classic plaster, echoing the façades of Lisbon’s historic quarters. In contrast, the inclined walls are clad in traditional Portuguese azulejos, their intricate tiles adding a layer of texture and cultural resonance. Here and there, diagonal, multistory windows punctuate the structure, highlighting key moments within the building. One such moment unfolds in the restaurant, where a generous glazed wall opens onto a rooftop terrace, blurring the boundary between interior experience and Lisbon’s luminous skyline.
The museum will be located in Belém, Lisbon, Portugal, and is currently being designed.