(01) The studio
Est. 2009 — Lisbon, Portugal
An architecture studio for quiet buildings, shaped first by daylight.
We are eleven architects, interior designers and makers working from a former bakery in Madragoa. Our buildings are made of few materials and many hours of looking at the sun.
From family houses in Sintra to public libraries in Coimbra, every project begins with the same question: where should the light fall, and what should it touch?
2009
Founded in Lisbon
46
Buildings completed
12
Awards and nominations
(03) In detail
Light, studied closely.
Hover or tap an image to bring it into focus. Drag the divider to compare morning and evening light in the same stair hall.
(04) Practice
Five ways we work.
One studio, five kinds of commission. Every one of them starts with a site visit at the hour the light is lowest.
(05) Material notes
A short library of honest materials.
Five materials we return to again and again, chosen because they age well and ask for little.
No. 01
Lime plaster
Three coats by hand, so walls breathe and soften every hour of light.
No. 02
Shingles and raw concrete
Larch shingles weathering to silver beside board-marked concrete.
No. 05
Board-marked concrete
Poured against rough boards, it keeps the grain of timber for good.
(06) Process
From first light to handover.
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(08) Start a project
Let’s draw your light.
Tell us about your site, your brief and the hour you love most. We reply to every enquiry within two working days.