This narrow townhouse in Lisbon has bushy plants all over its body and a swimming pool on its roof.

Designed by Portuguese architects Luís Rebelo de Andrade, Tiago Rebelo de Andrade and Manuel Cachão Tojal, the three-storey house was designed as a vertical garden that includes 25 different Iberian and Mediterranean plant species.

"Different fragrances are spread throughout the floors," the architects told Dezeen. "In the swimming pool you will have the flavour of saffron; in the bedroom, lavender; in the living-room, rosemary."

"In the heart of a busy city, the vertical garden creates an unique link with nature and an unexpected atmosphere," they added.

A single staircase spans one side of the house to connect all three floors and the roof terrace. The architects describe them as "an allusion to the famous stairs of Alfama," in reference to the stepped streets in the oldest area of the city.

On the roof, the narrow pool stretches along the whole length of the terrace so that it can be used for swimming lengths.

Living and dining rooms are on the second floor, while bedrooms occupy the first floor and a garage and music room are on the ground floor.

Other buildings with green walls on Dezeen include a pharmacy and clinic in Japan and a furniture showroom in Brazil.

See all our stories about green walls »

Photography is by Fernando Guerra.

Here's a description from the architects:

House in Travessa do Patrocínio

From a small lot with its unique implantation, this project has raised early on a couple of challenges... and along with them, ideas emerged.

Above: ground floor plan - click above for larger image

The box housing deviates from the gable to create a vertical yard (glass box), with a straight ladder connecting all floors, an allusion to the famous stairs of Alfama, running between the all four floors walls and linking the various dimensions.

Above: first floor plan - click above larger image

This courtyard is the heart of the house, bringing light to the interior, enhancing the main entrance and creating a real exterior/interior relationship.

Above: second floor plan - click above for larger image

In terms of material, we chose to polish the rectangular form and give the block the face of a tree, making it one more element of the square, which resulted together with the existing tree and water fountain, in a triad.

Above: roof plan - click above for larger image

The program was set up almost automatically, the technical services and garage with direct access from the street, the first floor holding the private area of the house. The second floor is the social area, with a direct connection to the coverage, extending social into outdoors, being the view related to the social side and the private area to both square and Embassy, the setting of a typical Lisbon experience, which is a truly intimate relationship between quarters.

Therefore, this project is in fact a mini lung and an example of sustainability for the city of Lisbon, keeping the principles of a living typical habitat and a relationship with the outside, assuming a revitalizing urban role.

Above: section - click above for larger image 

Architects: Luís Rebelo de Andrade, Tiago Rebelo de Andrade & Manuel Cachão Tojal
Co-Workers: Madalena Rebelo de Andrade, Raquel Jorge, Carlos Ruas & Tiago Moniz
Location: Travessa do Patrocínio, Lisbon, Portugal
Project Year: 2008-2012
Project Area: 248 sqm
Client: BWA – Buildings With Art

Construction:
Construoeiras, Obras Públicas e Construção Civil SA
Supervision - RTNC,Lda - Eng. Rui Taborda
Electrical, Communications and Safety - EppE - Eng. José Cardoso Water and Sewer - Carlos Nunes Baptista
AVAC - Prom & E, Lda – Eng. Luis Baião
Gardens - Adn-Garden Desing