For readers
In this space we publish posts and express our thoughts about life, architecture, desing and other topics that matter to us and our community.
Architecture is not a luxury
Casting some light on how architecture is perceived distant nowadays and why this is bad for both people and society. In the past decades architecture has evolved to become more and more detached from us, strengthening the idea that it must be something glamourous and out of ordinary, and simultaneously, for the most, a cost to be avoided whenever it is possible. Its identity has been lost between [...]
“We (don’t) need an architect”
A humble effort to dispel some misconceptions around the need of a professional for designing a small space. If you work in a field were a visual or artistic component is involved, you have experienced this many times: people think that a lot of what you do is debatable and subjective, or that given time and a little effort, everyone could to it. More subtly demeaning is the assumption that it is all just about talent. Many completely forget the complex reasoning, the professional competence, and the [...]
Investing in Portugal
Brief analysis of benefits and opportunities you can access to in Portugal, whether to start a business, a new life, or simply to find a prime holiday destination. Portugal, a country that combines history, culture, landscape, leisure, and entertainment presents itself to the world, not only as one amazing holiday destination, but also, and more importantly, as one of the best places to live and focus your interests into. Let us see more in detail why Portugal is so special and what this country has to offer you [...]
Older publications
Architecture is not a luxury
Casting some light on how architecture is perceived distant nowadays and why this is bad for both people and society. In the past decades architecture has evolved to become more and more detached from us, strengthening the idea that it must be something glamourous and out of ordinary, and simultaneously, for the most, a cost to be avoided whenever it is possible. Its identity has been lost between the starry architecture and cheap standardized furnishing and people struggle to understand what the purpose of architecture is and why should it matter to them. Let us try to understand what’s broken and remember why architecture is an essential service, everyone should access to, and a key player to achieve a better way to live and solve some contemporary critical issues in our society. [...]
“We (don’t) need an architect”
A humble effort to dispel some misconceptions around the need of a professional for designing a small space. If you work in a field were a visual or artistic component is involved, you have experienced this many times: people think that a lot of what you do is debatable and subjective, or that given time and a little effort, everyone could to it. More subtly demeaning is the assumption that it is all just about talent. Many completely forget the complex reasoning, the professional competence, and the technical issues that structure and inform our choices and the product of our work. It recently occurred to me that this topic has many more shades of grey than I thought, when friends of mine turned down my help offer in the renovation of their [...]
Investing in Portugal
Brief analysis of benefits and opportunities you can access to in Portugal, whether to start a business, a new life, or simply to find a prime holiday destination. Portugal, a country that combines history, culture, landscape, leisure, and entertainment presents itself to the world, not only as one amazing holiday destination, but also, and more importantly, as one of the best places to live and focus your interests into. Let us see more in detail why Portugal is so special and what this country has to offer you and potentially completely change your life for the better. The spotlight Between the 15th and 16th century Portugal was discovering a bigger world and adding entire continents to our maps. In the last decade the world is re-discovering Portugal and putting it in [...]
Integrating the Home-Office
Analysis of issues and solutions concerning the contemporary work-from-home topic. By career choice of forced by health safety concerns, many are starting to work from their homes introducing a new issue in the management of space and activities within the limits of our apartments. We address the biggest problematics related to these changes and focus on the most important aspects that can help us to do it the right way. Take a possible source of stress and complications and turn it into an opportunity to make a positive change and an improvement in our lifestyle. Analysis of the conflicts The addition of a workspace in our homes, as are they now usually conceived and intended, can lead to many conflicts and incompatibilities, as in fact the new workspace is [...]
Fantastic (Competent) Architects and Where to Find Them
An honest guide to find the right architect for you avoiding frauds and incompetence. So, you decided that you need an Architect and that is awesome. How to you look for one and how do you choose? There is a great offer of architectural services for every taste and need, but most people do not have the technical background or experience to easily discern if they are competent or good for them. It aches when I see people commit to professionals which are not worth of that name: it leads to the client disappointment, deprives competent architects of good money (it is a tough market) and makes a bad reputation for the profession. In this short article we try to give some basic guideline to navigate in this scenery and be happy [...]
Pandemic and Small Spaces
On how confinement pushes the limits of our living spaces’ paradigms. To cope with the new pandemic situation, we were forced to adapt to a new lifestyle and change the way we live in our homes. We are spending more time indoors than we used to, trying to squeeze new activities under our roofs and demanding always more from our living spaces. Those changes can be stressful and frustrating if our spaces are not well designed and enough comfortable. How can we respond to the rise of these new needs and rethink the way we use our homes in a positive way? In this article we try start some interesting conversation and find some new prospective to improve our apartments. This is of course a very wide topic aimed to introduce many issues [...]