Urban elegance experiences a new awakening in Lisbon with this apartment building

In the Lisbon neighbourhood of Benfica, contemporary architecture makes its mark with a unique language. Unique Benfica, a complex of 38 apartments designed by José Mateus, founder of ARX Portugal Arquitectos, combines construction precision, cutting-edge materials, and a sensitive interpretation of domestic space.

More than a residential building, the project offers a reinterpretation of everyday life through materials: surfaces, textures, and reflections that evoke nature with a technical and sustainable approach. In this balance between geometric precision and material sensuality, Cosentino plays a key role through the application of Dekton Neural and Silestone Blanco Zeus in kitchens and bathrooms.

The architect describes the bathrooms as genuine cavities sculpted from a mineral mass. “Essentially, we aimed to work on the cladding of the bathroom walls as if they were spaces ‘excavated’ from a geological mass. We were not interested in simulating a specific stone but, since this is the area of the house where water is the central element, simply suggesting a mineral appearance with fluid textures,” he explains.

This idea —working the surface as if it were contained geology— translates into a visually understated, tactile, and timeless result. In each bathroom, Dekton Neural and Silestone Blanco Zeus provide that subtle texture that suggests nature without imitating it, with a homogeneous finish and luminosity that enhances the sense of space.

In the kitchens, the material is applied in two ways: floor and worktop, both executed in Dekton Neural. The 450 metres installed, with thicknesses of 8 mm for the floor and 12 mm for the worktops, demonstrate the technical versatility of the material. The formats allowed for continuous execution without visual interruptions, which is key in a project where the purity of lines is part of the architectural language.

The light tone and mineral texture of the ultracompact surface Dekton Neural harmonise with the clean and precise architecture of ARX Portugal, resulting in kitchens that exude balance, functionality, and understated elegance.

For José Mateus, the choice of Cosentino reflects both a conceptual concern and a reflection on the future of architecture. “We were interested in working with new, artificial materials, but made from natural matter with a sustainable environmental approach. The future of architecture largely involves the diversification and reformulation of construction systems —in this case, cladding— which we are keen to test and understand.”

The architect also highlights other virtues of the material as decisive factors in the development of the project: “Beyond the aesthetic aspects inherent to the surface or texture, the flexibility and lightness of the technology worked very well in the project, as did its ability to adapt to variable geometries.”

During the selection process, the ARX team had the opportunity to explore the diversity of Cosentino's portfolio. “In the process of choosing Dekton, we had the chance to see a wide variety of panels in the warehouses, ranging from those that simulate natural stones to those that embrace an artificial texture or expression, which are the ones that interest us the most. We recognised the enormous potential for countless interpretations of these technologies.”

That potential, the material's ability to transform and to engage with nature without replicating it, is precisely what makes Dekton Neural and Silestone Blanco Zeus ideal allies for forward-looking architecture.