Portugal bets on luxury with the transformation of an office building into high-income residences, in which Cristiano Ronaldo has bought his most expensive apartment.
A castle is, by definition, a fortified place to protect a region or population, located in a strategic place with high visibility and made up of different rooms, including the residence of the monarch or the feudal lords. In Portugal there are clear examples of great castles: the Castle of Monção from 1306, the Castle of Guimarães from the 11th century, the Castle of Penedono from the 10th century, but rebuilt in the 16th century, the Castle of Alcácer do Sal from the 6th century BC. (Arabic construction) and the Castilho 203, built in the 70s of the last century and renovated in 2017.
But… in Portuguese, isn’t it castelo instead of castilho? Castilho is a term that arises from the surname castle, more specifically from a family from Asturias that moved to the neighboring region and modified it. Anyway, the fact is that it comes to the hair to show you one of the most intrepid reforms that have been carried out in Portugal, it is so daring that it has managed to place one of its homes as the most valued in the country and, of course, its buyer does not It could be other than the most acclaimed Portuguese athlete: Cristiano Ronaldo.
The largest real estate operation in Portugal
The player who gave Real Madrid fans many afternoons of glory had to compete for ownership with two other millionaires, a contest that was kept secret until recently. This real estate transaction, the largest in the history of the country, reached a majestic figure of 7.2 million euros. The house is located in one of the most expensive streets in the country, Rua Castilho (number 203) in Lisbon, next to Parque Eduardo VII, Plaza de Marqués de Pombal and Avenida da Liberdade; 210 meters from the Intercontinental Hotel and 350 from the Ritz (to give us an idea of its magnificent location).
The building was designed by the architect Tomás Taveira and was built in the 70s of the last century. This office tower once housed the central services of the Ministry of Agriculture, until it was acquired by Claude Berda, a Parisian magnate who has declared himself an admirer of Portugal and who has invested 300 million euros in various real estate transactions. The Frenchman hired an architecture studio called ARX and bought the building for 12.5 million euros, investing some more in a major renovation, reaching a total cost of 30 million.
20 luxury apartments with incredible views
The building is divided into 14 floors above ground and four below it, covering a total of 8,550 square meters built. It is distributed in two blocks at different heights, one of 14 and the other of 8. Inside, 20 homes await the owner (well, now 19, of course). Of them, seven are in the back and have 140 square meters of surface, divided into two bedrooms with individual bathroom, living room, dining room, kitchen and toilet. In the basement floors there is parking for 21 vehicles.
The seven houses have seven older sisters that face two facades. They have 287 square meters and are distributed in three bedrooms with individual bathroom (the main one with access to the terrace), laundry room, toilet, kitchen, lobby, living room with fireplace included and a terrace of almost 21 square meters. Another five apartments have the same distribution, each occupying a floor in the highest part of the complex. These five homes have earned the nickname Skyflats, thanks to their incredible views of the park. The rest of the apartments are called Cityflats.
An infinity pool on the roof of the building
But the jewel in the crown or the main room of the castle (depending on how you look at it) was left by Cristiano Ronaldo. It is a 287-square-meter Skyflat with the same layout as its five brothers, but with a detail at the top of the building: a panoramic terrace with a fireplace, barbecue, a small garden (all in 260 square meters) and, of course , an ostentatious infinity pool, to enjoy the best hours of the day.
Obviously, Castilho 203, a creation of the Vanguard Properties company, was not going to let its other users run out of swimming pools, so the complex has two more: a covered one on the ground floor and an open-air one on the eighth floor, taking advantage of the roof of the lowest part of the building. To these leisure areas must be added a spa and gym on the first floor, a cinema room, a large reception, and 24-hour concierge services. All the details of the property remind its users that they are among the most avant-garde luxury: balconies over the park, 360-degree views, state-of-the-art home automation… to complain, let’s go!
A comprehensive reform that included details in marble, bronze and glass
Some companies that participated in its construction were Mota-engil, Afaplan and Ecosteel. These studies collaborated closely with the main architect José Mateus, demolishing all the old walls of the complex, and complementing them with new structural parts to support the pools, the new lifts and the new transit areas. The reform of a property, when the use is changed, must take into account multiple variables, which makes the task more complicated than the preparation of a new building.
However, one of the main and most successful actions was the setback of the main facade. This reform left a corridor in the shape of a terrace and placed floor-to-ceiling carpentry on the interior walls, to make the most of natural light. The carpentry has all its details in bronze tones and the exterior railings are all made of glass. However, the maximum elegance is provided by the most noble material in the world: marble. The entire façade is covered by marble slabs between three and five centimeters thick, attached to the structure by metal profiles, and wrapping the exterior pillars with vertical slits on many of their faces.
The building is cute. Castilho 203 is capable of coloring the views from the park, the Tagus river, or any other natural or semi-natural place, we should not always look for nature to glimpse beauty, sometimes it takes the form of buildings. In case you wonder, the price of the rest of the properties is between 1.26 and 4.9 million euros, which places it very close to your possibilities. If not, you can always visit Lisbon and see this fantastic building up close. Discovering its details and location are well worth it and, perhaps, they will give you a good idea.