PORTUGAL MODERN

2024

Rua José Afonso 52, 3800-012 Aveiro

Eduardo Souto de Moura's The Unique, a high-rise commercial building, showcases Brutalist architecture with a concrete façade and composite materials, serving as a corporate headquarters with mixed-use engineering elements. Photo by Ben
Eduardo Souto de Moura's The Unique, a high-rise commercial building, showcases Brutalist architecture with a concrete façade and composite materials, serving as a corporate headquarters with mixed-use engineering elements. Eduardo Souto de Moura's The Unique, a high-rise commercial building, showcases Brutalist architecture with a concrete and glass façade, featuring composite materials and daylighting elements.

“I designed this building as if it were for me. The best thing I can say is: I would love to live here.” – Eduardo Souto de Moura

Located in Cais da Fonte Nova, Aveiro, The Unique is a luxury residential development that redefines contemporary living in one of the city’s most prestigious areas. Designed by Eduardo Souto de Moura, a Pritzker Prize-winning architect, this project seamlessly integrates with the Ria de Aveiro, the green surroundings, and the city’s Art Nouveau heritage, creating a refined yet grounded architectural expression.

A Design Rooted in Place

Souto de Moura’s design is not just another modernist building; it reflects Aveiro’s identity through color, materiality, and spatial fluidity. He states, “I didn’t want this building to be just another one. The introduction of color, this Aveiro-inspired hue, breaks the rigidity of a pure and hard modernist approach.” This conscious effort to avoid monotony results in a façade that resonates with the city’s architectural fabric while remaining distinct and contemporary.

Luxury and Functionality in Every Detail

The Unique offers 39 high-end apartments ranging from one to four bedrooms, each with a private garage. The interiors are meticulously planned, featuring:
• Spacious, open-plan living areas that extend to large balconies, creating a seamless indoor-outdoor experience.
• Floor-to-ceiling glazed windows that maximize natural light and panoramic views over the Ria de Aveiro.
• Brise-soleil shading systems, ensuring thermal comfort without obstructing the views.
• Modern kitchens, designed as social spaces that integrate with the living rooms—“Today, kitchens are so beautiful that they almost outshine the living room furniture,” notes Souto de Moura.

A Space for Modern Living

The development embraces the evolving needs of contemporary living. “Since the pandemic, balconies have gained immense importance, becoming spaces of social interaction,” says the architect. Every unit at The Unique features expansive balconies, reinforcing this idea of an extension of the home into the open air.

Souto de Moura even envisions himself here: “For example, when I designed the ground floor, I imagined it as my own architecture office. Aveiro is pleasant, and if I could, I would live in this building—beautifully designed and in a great location. I’d live upstairs and work below.”

A New Icon for Aveiro

Beyond luxury, The Unique embodies a new architectural identity for Cais da Fonte Nova. By blending modernist rigor with local nuances, it offers an exclusive yet contextualized living experience. As Souto de Moura puts it, “When you combine the best location in the city with a Pritzker Prize architect, the result can only be unique.”