The architect has been internationally recognised as one of the main representatives of New Architecture.
In 2017, he received the Pessoa Award for his long career, and for using traditional Portuguese elements in his innovative projects.
His architectural style is characterised by the volume geometry, its light enhancement through the white colour and by the connection the shapes make with the environment.
The prestidious architect, Manuel Aires Mateus, will be on the jury at the twelfth edition of the PORCELANOSA Group Awards.
A follower of the renowned architect, Gonçalo Byrne, during his university years; Aires Mateus got his degree in 1986 at the Faculdade de Arquitectura/U.T.L. Some two years later, he founded his own studio: Aires Mateus, together with his brother Francisco, who was also an architect. Although they started working with Byrne, their style began to get noticed and project demand increased. Hence, they were determined to put their own team together, which is divided into the two headquarters they have in Lisbon.
Unexpected architecture
Architecture by Aires Mateus is characterised by: its open shapes, volume combination, light enhancement through the white colour and the connection the shapes make with the environment. Qualities which create an unexpected effect on the user which focus on sensory experiences and aesthetic order.
Fo the architect, memory and experience lead the way, specifically in his refurbishment projects where contemporary style is incorporated in order to strengthen the essence of the original work. The result is work with its own meaning where present, past and future come together.
The fresh creative style by the Aires Mateus brothers is portrayed in some projects such as: the Facultad de Arquitectura de Tournai in Belgium, the Hogar de Ancianos in Alcácer do Sal, the Centro de Convívio in Grândola, the new Pôle Muséal in Laussane and the Centro de Creación Contemporánea Oliver Debré.
As a representative of ‘New Architecture’, his work has been exhibited at the Bienal in Venice in 2018, 2012 and 2010; at the Gallery 1 as well, RIBA in London in 2009.
All of this has led him to being a finalist and a winner at several national and international events. In 2017, he picked up the Pessoa Award out of recognition for his excellent career and legacy inside and outside of Portugal.
A passionate tecaher
Not only was he an architect, but also a teacher. Manuel Aires Mateus has been a teacher at the prestigious Graduate School of Design in Harvard (in the USA), also at the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio (in Switzerland) and at the Autonomous University in Lisbon, where he has taught since 1998.
His long career and countless projects have taken Manuel Aires Mateus to giving lecturers as a guest lecturer at distinguished univeristies around the world. Furthermore, his work has been published in different monographs as an example of new architectural modernity.
