IEEM Headquarters

About

The current headquarters of the Institute of European Studies occupies an unusual villa displaying a Neo-Moorish architectural language. Located on a prominent site facing Vasco da Gama Garden it gracefully negotiates the sloped terrain by creating an elevated ground floor connected to the street by a curved staircase. The exuberant main façade follows a traditional balcony arrangement frequent on buildings of the same period, and its decorative exuberance contrast with the subtleness of the lateral facades. This freestanding urban villa saw its surroundings transform and densify, but still stands out on its own terms.