Photography by Bernardo Cantigas

The Editory Riverside Hotel is a project that was born in between Terreiro do Paço and Xabregas, while taking the bus to my studio. In the 728 (the number of the bus) you can really see the contrast in that area. Starting in a gentrified (and almost soulless) area called Campo das Cebolas, it passes a viaduct that has tons of tents underneath. After that you pass 3 homeless shelters, where you can see the residents chilling in the streets, just to end the route with some luxury apartments being built in the distance. If you are willing to feel it, it can sometimes be an intense journey. Right before the viaduct you pass by Santa Apolonia's train station were, on top of it, recently, this new five star hotel opened. At the start of the viaduct and next to the tents, you have this abandoned kiosk that, when on the bus, you can admire for some seconds. Mixing these two buildings is mixing these two separate yet really close realities. Here, Gentrification means a choice. A choice to abandon those who are deemed useless in favor of capital gain and aesthetic blendness. A choice to try to hide the intrinsic problems of a metropolitan area, not under the rug, but under bridges and inside alleys