VDLA has designed the extension of the Gulbenkian Foundation Garden, establishing native ecologies as a model for rewilding urban grounds in Lisbon, Portugal.

The extension of the Gulbenkian Foundation Garden project proposes a seamless addition to the existing historic garden and a new urban access to the campus from the south.

The intervention defines a model for rewilding the city, implementing characteristic local ecologies and starting a process that will eventually transform the site's original ornamental garden into an autochthonous natural environment.

"The objective [was] to create, with time, a space for harmonious cohabitation for people and wildlife in the heart of Lisbon, a place that reconsiders our relation with nature, challenging the current anthropocentric urban models," said VDLA.

This project has been longlisted in the landscape and urban design category of Dezeen Awards 2025.

Studio: VDLA
Project: Gulbenkian Foundation Garden Extension
Credits: Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Kengo Kuma Architects and Associates, OODA, Traços na Paisagem, Lugar Invisível, Teresa Nunes da Ponte Arquitectura, Buro Happold, Campo d’Água – Engenharia e Gestão, Bartolomeu Perestrello, Miguel Tavares, Glu Projectos, Teixeira Trigo, HCI, Arestalfer, Luis Fraçao, Pedro Arsenio, Filipe Soares, Francisco Coimbra, Sigmetum and Floraviva