El Croquis 229: Aires Mateus 2018–2026 maps eight years of output from one of Lisbon's most disciplined architecture studios, tracing how Manuel and Francisco Aires Mateus translate an unwavering contextual philosophy into projects that span urban scale and intimate interior space.
About This Book
Led by brothers Manuel and Francisco Aires Mateus, the Lisbon-based studio has built a practice defined by rigorous contextual thinking — the conviction that architecture cannot be extracted from its cultural and social setting. This issue of El Croquis documents their work from 2018 to 2026, presenting a body of projects that moves fluidly between urban masterplanning and precise interior design. Each project is developed through sustained dialogue, from first concept to final construction, and the breadth of typologies here reveals a consistent architectural intelligence at work. A conversation with the architects threads through the publication, giving access to their process and the ideas that hold the practice together.
Key Features
- 336 pages of project photography, architectural drawings, and process documentation
- Featured projects include the refurbishment of Variedades Theatre, Pateos Guest Houses, House in Monzaraz, and MUDAC Lausanne
- Extended conversation with Manuel and Francisco Aires Mateus
- Published by El Croquis
What You'll Discover
- How Aires Mateus applies a non-decontextualised approach across radically different building typologies — from cultural institutions to private houses
- The role of sustained collaboration between the two brothers in shaping each project's evolution from concept through to completion
- The studio's approach to heritage and refurbishment, exemplified by the Variedades Theatre project, where existing fabric is engaged rather than overwritten
- How a consistent architectural philosophy manifests differently at urban masterplan scale versus the intimacy of a guest house or private residence
About the Author
[Details available upon request]
Specifications
- Format: Softcover
- Pages: 336
- Dimensions: 250 x 340 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9788412823448
- Publisher: El Croquis
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Architects and architecture students drawn to the Portuguese tradition, practitioners interested in contextual design methodology, and collectors of the El Croquis monograph series.