Rua Verde Housing

Thirty-two cooperative homes behind a facade of planted fins — housing that cools itself and grows greener every year.

The brief

A housing cooperative wanted affordable flats with real outdoor space on a narrow, south-facing plot in Arroios.

The idea

Deep vertical fins carry planters and shade the balconies. The flats are cross-ventilated, with no corridors — every home has two orientations and a loggia.

The result

Summer temperatures inside stay four degrees below the street. The residents now run the planting themselves, floor by floor.