Assalto Moncada 4
Luanda, Angola
2017–2010
The more than 40 years of war in Angola, followed by the artificial prosperity of relentless exploitation of natural resources, —mostly oil & gas and mining—, brought unsustainable demographic pressure to the capital city of Luanda, concentrating about one third of the 25 million residents in a territory originally infrastructured to house 500,000. The urban structure and orography of the city, coupled with the pressure and demand for office space and residences for multinational expats, inflated the land value in the centre. Consequently, new tower-like typologies such as the Assalto Moncada 4 (AM4), which is located in the heart of the city, are fast replacing the old colonial urban fabric of 2-storey villas.
Despite its commercial space at ground level, AM4 is truly a residential building, with 70 compact units optimised to an efficiency ratio of 85% across 16 floors. In terms of programme, the building offers the normal amenities typically required by professional expatriates, i.e. laundry, security, condominium room, gymnasium, in addition to underground parking.
Evocative of the modernist legacy of buildings clad in Portuguese tiles — some of remarkable quality —, and their low maintenance requirements, the restrained façade composition of deep regular spans, is tiled up with Viúva Lamego fluted and hand-painted azulejos in customised shades of green, which, together with the window frames in anodised aluminium ‘champagne’ tint, reflect the hues of the city’s warm light.




Longitudinal section

Transversal section

North elevation

South elevation






Location: Rua do Assalto ao Quartel de Moncada 4, Luanda, Angola
Client: Gestimovel
Project Brief: 16-storey residential (70 units of 1- to 2-bdr) and ground floor retail
Plot Area: 570 sq. m
Gross Built Area: 9,023 sq. m (housing);136 sq. m (retail); 2,650 (parking)
Construction Cost: USD 15M
Project Status: 2010 (competition, 1st-prize) – 2019 (built)
