We´re pleased to see the year 2023 come to an end with the publication of some projects and a structured interview in the yearbook No. 29 of the Spanish magazine Arquitectura Plus, which brings together a selection of “Leading Architecture Studies in Spain and Portugal”, edited by Grupo Via. It was a pleasure to be part of a publication with such notable national and Spanish architecture studios. Full interview:
What is the fundamental identity of your office?
As a response to the complexity associated with emerging challenges (local and global), the studio seeks, in each project and territory, an understanding of the endogenous values of the site from a perspective of socio-ecological regeneration, always in harmony with the needs of clients and future users. To this end, it finds the scientific knowledge to build transformative solutions in the relationship and transdisciplinary integration. The aim is to respond to the problems that the cities of the future will face through approaches that focus on people, the quality of built environments, and the resilience of urban dimensions, at the scale of the building, the neighborhood, and the city.
What new needs do clients have today?
In addition to involvement in the creative process and the integrated response to the most varied regulatory requirements, clients and developers are currently looking for greater energy efficiency in buildings and solutions that potentially minimize the construction sector’s ecological footprint, through distinctive construction systems (resulting from processes with low CO2 emissions) and innovative materials (natural-based, recycled and recyclable). As a result of the latest pandemic (COVID-19), there is a growing need to create flexible and adaptable spaces, in terms of the functional organization of interior spaces.
What projects do you have underway?
A number of projects are underway in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, including single-family housing in Sintra, the interior design of an apartment in Cascais, a public space requalification project in Lisbon, and the rehabilitation of a residential building in Lisbon’s historic city center.
Where is architecture heading in the coming years?
The challenges that cities face as a result of urbanization processes, the impacts of climate change on territories, and the scarcity of natural resources, call for deep reflection. It is in this context that current events show that buildings, urban and peri-urban areas will inevitably play a leading role in the paradigm shift towards building territories and communities of proximity and places to meet and share that give public spaces and buildings greater resilience. The act of participating in this transformation from the disciplines of architecture and urbanism is preponderant but in confluence with other scientific areas from the social and natural sciences.
Via: Aquitectura Plus Magazine (Spain) Issue no. 29. Top Leading Architecture Studies in Spain and Portugal. Structured interview and publication of projects: Wooden house, Sesimbra; Loft Anjos, Lisbon; Chão dos Meninos villa, Sintra. Via Group edition. p.44.
To view the full issue: https://issuu.com/grupoviabcn/docs/a_29