With a team of around 70 professionals, Broadway Malyan Portugal is led by Margarida Caldeira. In an interview with idealista/news, the Portuguese architect identifies housing as one of the country’s greatest challenges. “There is a strong housing shortage in Portugal, across all segments. The most urgent need to address is, without a doubt, permanent housing for young people and middle-class families.” However, as she argues, the concept of housing today goes far beyond the traditional response: models such as coliving, flex-living, student or senior residences, and branded residences are beginning to gain ground in a market that is still underexplored nationally but where demand is growing.
margarida caldeira
Margarida Caldeira / idealista/news
“Talking about housing today is much more than solving a quantitative problem. There is mobility, remote work, new family structures, and that requires new responses,” says the specialist, who has received several awards and nominations in architecture and urban planning.
Located in the emblematic Rossio Station, a building in the center of Lisbon whose renovation it designed, the Broadway Malyan architecture studio is celebrating three decades of activity in Portugal. It was in 1995 that the Portuguese capital was chosen to host the first international office of the company founded in the United Kingdom in 1958. “What has always guided us has been the ability to combine global vision with local sensitivity,” she highlights.
In a context where, since then, “everything has changed” — and arguing that there are now “multiple ways of living” compared to traditional models — Margarida Caldeira nevertheless believes that something remains essential and transversal: “the spaces we design have a real impact on people’s lives and on cities.”
Rossio Station
Rossio Station Broadway Malyan
Celebrating 30 years in Portugal is a significant milestone. How did a British firm founded in 1958 become one of the key players in the national architecture and urban planning market?
Broadway Malyan arrived in Portugal in 1995, at a decisive moment in its global expansion, becoming the company’s first international office outside the United Kingdom. Today, looking back, we realize that this presence not only consolidated our path but also contributed to profoundly transforming the Portuguese urban context. Over these 30 years, we have grown from two people in a small 12-square-meter office to a team of around 70 professionals based at Rossio Station, a building we had the privilege of renovating.
We work in more than 15 countries and have award-winning projects on every continent, from urban masterplans in London, Manchester or Dublin to residential and tourism developments in the Middle East, Latin America and Southeast Asia. But this international vision coexists with a very strong local sensitivity. That is what has allowed the Lisbon studio to become a strategic hub within the Broadway Malyan network, simultaneously supporting projects in Portugal, Brazil, the Middle East and Asia.
Everything related to mobility is connected to people’s quality of life. And we must always think about our projects taking into account the positive experiences that, as architects, we can help create and improve.
Over these three decades, which projects have most marked Broadway Malyan’s presence in Portugal?
The list is long, but a few stand out. The first major iconic project was the Sony building in Parque das Nações, completed in 1998. It represented an important turning point: we were on the threshold of a new century and it was almost like designing the “offices of the 21st century.”
Sony
Sony Broadway Malyan
Another emblematic moment was the renovation of Rossio Station, which not only restored dignity to a neglected building but also drastically improved the daily experience of thousands of users. The transformation of Lisbon Airport, by bringing natural light into the interior and reorganizing flows, is also an example of our ability to intervene in infrastructure with a major public impact.
More recently, I would highlight projects such as World of Wine in Vila Nova de Gaia, now an international reference in urban regeneration, and the Liberdade 201 office building in Lisbon and Viva Office in Porto. In tourism, we inaugurated seven hotels in 2025 alone, which made this sector account for 45% of our turnover over the last two years.
You mentioned mobility and the importance of the urban experience. What is the role of architecture in this context?
Everything related to mobility is connected to people’s quality of life. And we must always think about our projects taking into account the positive experiences that, as architects, we can help create and improve.
Your focus on residential projects has been growing. What explains this strengthening?
There is a different approach nowadays, what the British call New Ways of Living. Traditional residential models, that classic “left-right” layout, no longer respond to current needs.
There is a strong housing shortage in Portugal, especially for young people and middle-class families. But talking about housing today is much more than solving a quantitative problem. There is mobility, remote work, new family structures, and that requires new responses. Models such as coliving, flex-living, student or senior residences and branded residences are emerging precisely for this reason. The Portuguese market is now beginning to explore these formats, but demand already exists and is significant. Therefore, we anticipate that residential projects will represent around half of Broadway Malyan’s activity in Portugal in 2025.
Models such as coliving, flex-living, student or senior residences and branded residences are emerging. The Portuguese market is now beginning to explore these formats, but demand already exists and is significant.
Fábrica 1921
Fábrica 1921 Broadway Malyan
Which residential projects are currently underway?
There are several projects worth highlighting. Garridas, in Benfica; Nama, in Carcavelos; and Elayne Residences, in Campo Pequeno and Cascais, reinforce our commitment to the branded residences segment. Mima, in Parque das Nações, combines housing, hospitality and tourist apartments, reflecting the trend towards hybrid and multifunctional models. We are also developing large-scale projects in Porto, Vila Nova de Gaia, Lisbon and neighboring municipalities, as well as in the Algarve, covering everything from the prime and ultra-luxury segment to developments aimed at the middle class, in traditional or hybrid formats.
How are these “new ways of living” materialized?
The services component and shared spaces are gaining importance. Homes tend to be more compact, but they are complemented by integrated amenities that promote well-being, convenience and quality of life: coworking spaces, gyms, lounges, outdoor areas, social spaces and shared infrastructures that reduce individual costs and strengthen the sense of community. There is also a growing trend towards indoor-outdoor living, that is, continuity between interior and exterior. The possibility of all floors having balconies gained strength after the pandemic, reflecting the need for more natural light, fresh air and transitional spaces that expand the everyday living experience.
Regarding sustainability and energy efficiency, what role do they play in residential projects?
For sustainability to be truly sustainable, it must also be financially sustainable. That is the first point. But today it is also a market trend and a real requirement: projects are only financed if they meet certain levels of environmental performance, and what initially emerged mainly in office buildings has very clearly extended to residential projects. In addition, current regulations already address many sustainability principles. By complying with legislation, we are automatically ensuring essential conditions, from thermal comfort to the use of around 10% alternative energy sources. All of this contributes to more efficient, more comfortable buildings that are better prepared to respond to the environmental and social challenges of the coming years.
Fábrica 1921
Fábrica 1921 Broadway Malyan
What distinguishes the way Broadway Malyan works in Portugal?
What has always guided us has been the ability to combine global vision with local sensitivity. We have accompanied major transformations in the Portuguese real estate market with innovation, talent and an enormous capacity to adapt. We have brought international methodologies, fueled by continuous research and knowledge sharing among teams spread across the world, but always with a deep sense of place. This Anglo-Saxon methodology, the use of best practices and ongoing research help us stay at the forefront of solutions. Within Broadway Malyan, Portugal is one of the most highly regarded studios, something that is also reflected in the internal competitions we regularly win. Today, we look to the future with the same energy with which we began this journey. We want to continue creating projects with a real impact on people’s lives and on cities. With 30 years of history in Portugal and nearly 70 years of global experience, we feel that we are only just beginning a new phase of growth — more demanding, more sustainable and more aligned with the multiple ways of living that are shaping the 21st century.
Homes are increasingly more compact, but they are complemented by integrated amenities that promote well-being, convenience and quality of life: coworking spaces, gyms, lounges, outdoor areas, social spaces and shared infrastructures that reduce individual costs and strengthen the sense of community.
And how do you imagine the next 10 years?
In 10 years’ time, we will see a much higher level of off-site construction. This will be a decisive step for the sector, because it will bring greater quality in execution and, as more players enter the market, costs should begin to fall or at least approach those of traditional construction. It is an evolution that is still in its early stages, but it will become increasingly present over the next decade. We will also have a new supply of housing formats, more diversified, more qualified and more aligned with the profound changes in the way we live. These new models — more flexible, more efficient and more integrated — should contribute to a more balanced living experience and, I hope, to a higher level of happiness. Ultimately, that is what lies at the heart of architecture: creating spaces that improve people’s lives.