We design buildings around one honest light source. Walls, rooms and materials simply follow where the sun is willing to go.
One house, five hours of sun.
Before we draw a wall, we track the light. These studies of Casa Sanavi follow a single October day across stair, court and model.
Slatted roof
Morning sun cut into twelve bands across the wall.
Gallery corridor
A single opening at the end of an eleven-metre hall.
Concrete fins
Deep reveals keep the west façade in shade until four.
Working model
1:50 card model tested under one lamp at the studio.
Courtyard, noon to dusk
Drag to move the sun. The same wall, seven hours apart.
63
Built works
Homes, galleries, libraries and one chapel, all within 200 km of Porto.
15
Years in practice
Founded in 2011 in a former printworks on Rua do Almada.
9
Architecture awards
Including the 2026 Prémio Secil and two Europa Nostra shortlists.
1
Light source
Every project starts from a single, honest source of daylight.
01
Architecture
New houses, galleries and public buildings, from first sun study to the last site visit.
02
Interiors
Joinery, lighting and furniture drawn alongside the walls, never added afterwards.
03
Masterplanning
Streets and squares planned around shade, prevailing wind and the path of the sun.
04
Heritage retrofit
Careful restoration of listed buildings, with new work kept distinct from the old.
Essay
6 min read
Why we start every project with a sundial
Before we draw a wall, we spend a week on site with a stick, a compass and a notebook. Here is what that week teaches us.
Material
5 min read
Board-marked concrete, explained
How the grain of a pine plank ends up in a concrete wall, and why we specify formwork as carefully as stone.
Process
4 min read
Drawing with a lamp: our 1:50 model ritual
Every Thursday the studio turns off its lights and tests a white card model under a single lamp.
