What's the value of owning a property by a named architect? One developer has been putting this question to the test on Portugal's Silver Coast, where the Bom Sucesso golf and design resort near Obidos features the work of no less than 23 prominent architects.
Photos of the architects are displayed in a 'star gallery' at the entrance to Bom Sucesso, and each was given his or her own piece of land to develop, subject to a few constraints: the homes had to be one storey, contemporary and to have grass roofs to create minimal impact. The architects who were included in the all-star line-up were largely Portuguese and Spanish, including some of Iberia's best-known names such as Alvaro Siza Vieira, Alcino Soutinho and Carlos Prata, as well as the British architect David Chipperfield.
Ricardo Garcia from Bom Sucesso said: "Some people thought at first that we were mad, because you don't have anywhere in Europe a development like this where the architects are all doing contemporary architecture." Confounding the critics, Bom Sucesso has sold well, with 85 per cent of the total number of the 601 homes snapped up – football's Jose Mourinho is among the buyers, and others have included many architects and professionals. The development has even spawned a couple of imitations, and the developers are convinced that the innovative approach to architecture has been key in winning such a high level of sales in the current economic climate. Properties still available at Bom Sucesso range from €350,000 for a two-bedroom townhouse to €1.5m for a five-bedroom villa.
A number of properties at Bom Sucesso are available on Primelocation.com, under Lisbon Coast.
Alexander Garrett is a freelance property writer who contributes regularly to The Observer and British Airways' Business Life.