Manuel Aires Mateus: Recent Projects

Thomas J. Baird Visiting Critic Lecture

Portuguese architect Manuel Aires Mateus was born in Lisbon in 1963 and graduated in 1986 from Faculty of Architecture, University of Lisbon. He started collaborating with the architect Gonçalo Byrne in 1983 and began developing projects with his brother, Francisco, in 1988. Their architectural practice Aires Mateus was established independently by the two brothers and housed in Byrne's studio during the first years. The increasing scale of work led them to establish a larger and autonomous space to fulfill client demands. Since then, the scale and the number of projects have been prolific, resulting in several national and international awards. The visibility of their work has also led to numerous lecturer and instructor positions at several institutions, including Harvard GSD; the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio in Mendrisio, Switzerland; as well as several others in Portugal. The firm now spans two studios, both based in Lisbon, and extends to several partnerships with local studios for international work.