(Journal) Essays, process and studio news
Journal.
Short essays from the studio on daylight, materials and the slow craft of making buildings. Written by the people who draw them.
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.
Essay
7 min read
The case for smaller windows
Large glazing promises light and delivers glare, heat and blinds. A defence of the deep, modest opening.
Material
5 min read
Reusing the Douro cellar’s stones, one by one
4,300 fallen schist stones, a numbering system and a very patient mason. Notes from the Quinta do Vale restoration.
Studio
3 min read
Matosinhos Library wins the 2026 Prémio Secil
Portugal’s most important architecture prize goes to a library built for a town that asked for quiet.