Rainha D. Leonor Building

About

Rainha D. Leonor is a project developed by the Holy House of Mercy in the 1950’s. Commissioned to José Lei, it was the tallest residential building in Macau at the time, as well as the first one to hold an elevator. Inspired by Le Corbusier’s “La Cité Radieuse de Marseille”, it follows the ideologies of “The Athens Charter” and goes further, delving into the notions of New Brutalism while incorporating local considerations. It’s a clear modernist tower with 13-storeys and 24 duplex units vertically distributed, each one with common areas on the lower level and bedrooms on the upper level, following a similar layout to local traditional houses. The façade frames each unit, with double height balconies on the southern façade arranged as brise-soleil to respond Macau’s hot and humid climate, and uses a local pallete of colors that reinforce the volumetric arrangement.