Iron Architecture · 2026
Campus F.03 Residential Building
- A' Design Award 2026 in Architecture
- CLIENT: GRAU.ZERO Architecture
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 3,943
- Verification code 1DF9DAB037 · Verify this award
Colors
About Campus F.03 Residential Building
The seven story Campus F.03 building was developed with a focus on the street frontage, presenting a dynamic and rhythmic facade with a gradual transition between elevations, merging structure and elegance through sleek modern finishes and warm wood accents. The structural frame, defined by pillars and beams, creates a rhythmic composition across the facade, gradually fragmenting toward the upper floors, with an interplay between solid and void achieved through walls, glass, and open spaces between pillars.
About the A' Design Award
Campus F.03 Residential Building is an Iron A' Design Award winner, a prestigious recognition granted to good designs that meet the professional and industrial requirements expected from well-designed creations. Iron winners demonstrate great skill, high specialization, expert understanding, and creative capacity of their creators. Campus F.03 Residential Building is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished creation that is practical and innovative. This Iron A' Design Award-winning design integrates industry best practices and has competent technical characteristics linked with know-how and talent. Campus F.03 Residential Building is respected for its thoroughness and is designed to provide quality of life improvements that help make the world a better place.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The Campus F.03 building comprises seven floors and a total of 23 residential units, as well as commercial space.
The building offers a variety of residential units, ranging from one-bedroom to three-bedroom apartments. The smaller units are situated on the lower floors, while larger units are located on the upper floors, providing spacious accommodation for larger apartments and optimising space, allowing a dynamic and rhythmic facade. - Dimensions & Packaging
- The project, which totals 2040 square metres, was constructed on a 677,5 square metre plot.
The building has six floors above ground and one below. The residential units comprise 23 properties, divided into the following categories: studios, one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom. There is one ground-floor commercial space. - Tags
- Residential Architecture, Contemporary Architecture, Portuguese Architecture, Facade Design, Aveiro
- Production Technology
- The building's material palette blends modernity with warmth, ensuring its integration into the neighbourhood's aesthetic. The façade features CIN's Etics colour system in reference 0731, complemented by light oak wood sheeting on the blind walls. Railings made from micro-perforated sheet metal, painted RAL 6028, are topped with solid light oak wood, creating a cohesive and inviting design. These materials were chosen not only for their visual appeal but also for their durability and compatibility with the surrounding architecture.
- Design Challenge
- The project addresses the challenge of integrating a multifunctional building into a consolidated urban perimeter, balancing volume, functionality, and aesthetics. Innovation lies in the recessed volumetric strategy, designed to respect site elevation changes and create smooth urban transitions. The use of a portico structure elevates the façade composition through a dynamic rhythm of solids and voids, articulating pillars, beams, opaque planes, and transparent surfaces.
- Research
- By analysing the urban fabric and community demographics of the Liceu neighbourhood in Aveiro, the team identified two types of housing in demand: family housing and student accommodation near the University of Aveiro. The outcome was a mixed-use building comprising 23 apartments and a commercial space on the ground floor. The design of the building aims to revitalise the neighbourhood by creating dynamic, multifunctional spaces that foster a harmonious blend of residents.
- Inspiration
- Inspired by the need for urban revitalization and community integration, Campus F.03 presents a cohesive development that combines housing and commerce. The structural frame, marked by the pillars and beams, is used to achieve a gradual transition between elevations. This creates an aesthetic rhythm in the facades that are gradually defragmented until reaching the total number of floors, with an interplay between solid and void. This is achieved by using walls and glass, or simply open spaces.
- Project Duration
- The project, which began in 2019, is located in Aveiro, Portugal, and was completed in 2023.
- Operation Flow
- Access to the residential units is located along Rua de São Sebastião, where vertical circulation elements, including staircases and elevators, connect all floors. This arrangement allows the ground floor to be almost entirely dedicated to a large commercial establishment, adding vibrancy to the area. By blending residential and commercial uses, the building contributes to the neighbourhood's economic and social vitality, making it more than just a place to live.
- Image Credits
- Image #1: Ivo Tavares Studio - Architectural Photographer
Image #2: Ivo Tavares Studio - Architectural Photographer
Image #3: Ivo Tavares Studio - Architectural Photographer
Image #4: Ivo Tavares Studio - Architectural Photographer
Image #5: Ivo Tavares Studio - Architectural Photographer
