PREMISE
Cape Verde occupies a unique position at the crossroads of Africa, Europe and the Atlantic. Across its islands, centuries of migrations and exchanges have shaped a layered cultural identity and a landscape defined by the complexity of the territory.
But Cape Verde is not only a territory of memory. It is also a country in transformation, entering a new phase of growth driven by infrastructure, tourism, international investment and the need for more resilient models of development. This condition makes architecture especially relevant: the question is not how to build more, but how to build better.
Cidade Velha, on the island of Santiago, is one of the most significant places in the history of the archipelago. Founded in the 15th century as Ribeira Grande, it was the first urban settlement and a strategic centre along the Atlantic routes. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2009, its ruins, forts, stone and relationship with the ocean still reveal a deep and fragile identity.
ARCH CHALLENGE begins from this opportunity, in which we believe a lot: real sites, real constraints and real potential, where geography, climate, memory and growth guide the project from the very beginning.
BRIEF
Architecture and territory are closely related. With Challenge 01 – Linha do Horizonte, ARCH CHALLENGE is looking for proposals for a residential complex capable of belonging to the place before occupying it, designing with the land, not over it.
The competition seeks a high-end residential complex of approximately 10 to 18 housing units – independent villas, grouped apartments or a combination of both – across studio to three-bedroom typologies (T0–T3). Buildings should rise on a maximum of two levels, following a principle of low density and low visual impact, working
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