About the Office

Buildings are living entities. As a mindscape for the structuring of materiality, an interaction between humans and the elements. They have an inner echo and a resonance, vibrancy; they are a landscape of mediated temperatures ranging from the individual to the collective refractions, energies and interconnections of life. Our research focuses on matter and sensory perception.

From the Venice Biennale and Milano Triennale to Tokyo, Istanbul, London, S. Paulo, Prague, Lisbon, and many other places and institutions such as Cornell University in the United States, our architecture and ideas have earned us invitations to exhibit, publish, lecture, teach, and curate exhibitions. It received nominations for the EU Mies Awards and other international honours, resulting in widespread coverage in the New York Times and other publications around the world.

We hope to contribute to a social and historical understanding of the island's inhabitants with key partners like DRH (Azores). We've established a long-term study program in low-cost, sustainable construction, focusing not just on existing vernacular structures, but also on the translation of their historical and ancestral knowledge to new current goals and methodologies.

Bernardo Rodrigues

1972 Born in Ponta Delgada, Azores.
1996 Architecture at Porto University.
1996 Professional training at Donald Insall & Associates, London.
1997 Atelier 15, Porto.
1999 Master of Science at Columbia University in New York.
2001 Opened office.
​2007 Building New Ventures at Harvard University.

Francesco Ugolotti

​1984 Born in Parma, Italy.
2009 Architecture at Parma University.
2010 Senior architect at BRA.

A special thanks to everyone who has contributed their time, talent, and effort to the office's success throughout the years.

Collaborators
  • Rita Alegria
  • Olivia Antunes
  • Elena Archipovait
  • Alexandra Balona
  • Ana Luísa Braga
  • Rita Breda
  • Marta Camalhão
  • Raquel Castanheira
  • Sofia Cordeiro
  • ​Diogo Jácome Correia
  • Luis André Correia
  • Laura von Dellemann
  • Beatrice Dornseifer
  • Jose Constantino Espantoso
  • Filippo Dozzi
  • Isabela Falcão
  • Ariana Faustino
  • Fernando Ulrich Ferrão
  • Raquel Fernandes
  • Nelson Ferreira
  • Sofia Freitas
  • ​Ana Filipa Gomes
  • Nuno Sousa Gomes
  • James Grainger
  • Marta Kuleczka
  • Katarzyna Krysiewicz
  • Frederico Coelho Leite
  • Julião Pinto Leite
  • Carlos Lobão
  • Tânia Lopes
  • Alexandre Loureiro
  • Eduardo Magalhães
  • Nuno Malheiros
  • Katarzyna Malinowska
  • Gordana Marjanovic
  • ​Vitor Marques
  • ​Adriana Massague
  • Vasco Melo
  • Ricardo Monteverde
  • Pedro Mosca
  • Filomena Nascimento
  • Monica Pacheco
  • Francisco Paim
  • Isabel Ramos
  • Nuno Rodrigues
  • Jessica Silva
  • João Pedro Silva
  • Luís Ribeiro da Silva
  • Marco Silva
  • Pedro Silva
  • Weronika Siwak
  • Rafal Sliwa
  • Ana Soares
  • Andreia Teixeira
  • ​Francesco Ugolotti
  • Giacoma di Vieste
  • Natacha Viveiros
  • Ye Xuanyong
  • Birge Yildirim
  • Marcello Zahr
  • Administrative
  • Ana Carneiro
  • Patrícia Franco
  • Andrea Trevisan
  • Specialties Partners
  • HDP Engenharia, Structural
  • Pedro Nunes, Electrical
  • Januário Cruz, AVAC
  • Sopsec Açores,
  • Engineering
  • Pedro Câmara,
  • Fiscalization, Tender
  • Ana Fortuna,
  • Specifications, Tender
  • Exterior Partnerships
  • Iwan Baan
  • Valter Vinagre
  • Nonverbal Club
    (Website Design and Code)
  • MGRA (Law firm)
  • Jobs

    We encourage all spontaneous applications. Please send us your portfolio.

    Lectures and Interviews

    2024

  • Sculptor Atelier 'Under the Compression of Light' article on Room Disegno mag
  • Sculptor Atelier 'Under the Compression of Light' article on Metalocus Mag
  • 2023

  • Flight of Birds House in Condé Nast's Architectural Digest 'World's 10 Most Futuristic Houses Built'
  • Sculptor Atelier 'Under the Compression of Light' and interview on Publico Newspaper
  • Sculptor Atelier 'Under the Compression of Light' and interview on Dezeen
  • Curator of Exhibition and panel moderator on Design at 1st International Conference on Circular Economy - Ciec
  • 2022

  • Chapel of Eternal Light on Domus Magazine, Italy
  • Chapel of Eternal Light on Dezeen, with interview and photo report by Iwan Baan
  • Text - The Archipelago of Mirrors - for the Exhibition The 'Im'Possibility of an Island - at Museu Carlos Machado, Ponta Delgada Azores
  • 2021

  • ​Short story on Ponta Delgada, sketches of Athens Acropolis in "Avenida Marginal. Ficções, a colection of visions of diverse writers by Artes & Letras
  • 2020

  • Jornal de Notícias, article on Architects' Thoughts on Covid19
  • Interview at RTP Açores on the Exhibition 'How to Build an Island – Úterus Azorica
  • Curatorship Exhibition 'How to Build an Island - Úterus Azorica' - Arquipélago Contemporary Arts Center, Azores
  • 2019

  • I have a Weakness for a Touch of Red – Essays on Art, Architecture, and Portugal. Yehuda Safran's essay on the Flight of Birds House (2011 The plan magazine - 2019), Lars Muller Publishers
  • Book Launch - Yehuda Safran's Essays on Portuguese Architecture at Casa da Arquitectura
  • ​Atelier d'Arquitectura, Episode 18 on Portuguese architecture featuring Flight of Birds house and interview.
  • 2018

  • Catalogue text for Seminar Fronteiras Spain/Portugal
  • At Exhibition Building Stories, CCB, isbon
  • Open House Lisbon 2018 — Restaurant “From Bottom of the Sea to the Heaven of Mouth”
  • 2017

  • Article for Jornal de Notícias about Inauguration of Casa da Arquitectura
  • 2016

  • Lecture at Architecture Trienal of Lisbon
  • XXI Triennale International Exhibition Milan 2016 Portugal
  • 2015

  • Exhibition Pixel/Brick/Pixel at Universidade do Minho
  • Mid Term Crit at Barbas Lopes studio - Carlton university at UAL, Lisboa
  • 2014

  • Workshop at Fronteiras Portugal-Spain
  • 2013

  • Lecture at Iberia Crítica MNSR, Porto
  • Exhibition on Portuguese Architecture, S. Paulo, Brazil
  • 2011

  • Lecture at Instituto Cultural Ponta Delgada
  • Lecture at Prague National Tech Library
  • 2010

  • Lecture at ISCTE, Lisboa
  • Lecture Fautl, Lisboa University
  • Arkitera Interview, Istanbul
  • Lecture in Istanbul (European Capital of Culture)
  • Lecture at Faculdade Belas Artes Lisboa
  • Podcast 5 Minutos à Conversa
  • Preface for The Evolution of Architecture
  • Lecture at FAUP, Porto University
  • Interview by Rádio Universidade Porto
  • 2009

  • Lecture at Lusíada University, Famalicão
  • Lecture at Católica University, Viseu
  • Lecture at Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisboa
  • Lecture at NAAV, Aveiro
  • Lecture at Açores University
  • Lecture at Gallaecia Escola de Arquitectura
  • Talk at Store Street London
  • 2008

  • Lecture at Meiji Univ, Tokyo
  • Exhibition and Lecture at New Trends in Architecture, Tokyo
  • Lecture UM Guimarães
  • Interview in Revista + arquitectura
  • References and Prizes

    2024

  • Bernardo and Francesco jurors at 4Future Awards
  • 2023

  • Sculptor Atelier 'Under the Compression of Light' and interview on Dezeen
  • 2022

  • Article on Dezeen - Chapel of Eternal Light with photo report by Iwan Baan
  • 2021

  • At Home, in Centro Cultural de Belém by curator André Tavares
  • 2020

  • The Plan, June. Text Yehuda Safran - Chapel of Eternal Light, Italy
  • Chapel of Eternal Light nominated for International Sacred Architecture Prize - Fondazione Frate Sole, Pavia Italy
  • 2019

  • Chapel of Eternal Light is included in the 2019 Mies Award Publication for the European Prize for Contemporary Architecture.
  • 2018

  • Chapel of Eternal Light nominated for the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award
  • Chapel of Eternal Light at Açoriano Oriental
  • 2017

  • At Catalogue Power Architecture / Lars Muller
  • Exhibition Power Architecture — inauguration of Casa da Arquitectura, Porto
  • 2014

  • Flight of Birds House at Revista Sábado
  • Eurasian Prize Jury, Yekaterinburg, Russia
  • Article at Jornal dos Arquitectos - House Creation of Opacity (transparency is a state of mind)
  • Article at Folha de S. Paulo, Brazil
  • 2013

  • Article at Forbes Magazine
  • Flight of Birds House at Taschen Houses Now 3
  • Portuguese Contemporary Houses, Uzina Books
  • Article at The Inspirer, Swiss luxury magazine
  • 2012

  • Article at LuxuryCulture.com, France
  • Article at Room magazine, Spain
  • Article at UNi Magazine, Dubai
  • Article at Hauser magazine, Germany
  • Article at Architectural Digest, Mexico
  • Article at B.Inspired Magazine, Sweden
  • Article at Home magazine #36, France
  • Article at Bvd magazine, Israel
  • 2011

  • Interior Design magazine, Russia
  • Arch City Exhibition catalogue, Prague Castle
  • Flight of Birds House at NY Times
  • Chapel Eternal Light at Pin-Up magazine, NYC
  • Article at Mark magazine, Netherlands
  • Article at The Plan magazine, Italia
  • Article at Architectural Digest, Russia
  • Article at Switzerland Zeitung
  • Article at Architecture Intérieure-Cree # 352, France
  • Article at La Repubblica D, sunday mag, Italy
  • Flight of Birds House at europaconcorsi.com
  • 2010

  • Portable Spiral of History at archdaily.com
  • In Progress, Chapel Eternal Light at archdaily.com
  • Exhibition New Trends in Architecture, Museu Oriente, Lisboa
  • Book, Ideias Perigosas para Portugal
  • Book, Ville in Portogallo, Electa 2010, Milano, Italy
  • Radikal Newspaper, Istanbul
  • Article at Arquitectura & Construção
  • Article at Arquitectura & Construção
  • 2009

  • Volt Magazine / Lighting Design
  • Opus Lusa, Sustainable case study at Penn State University
  • Article at + arquitectura
  • 2008

  • Article in Revista Pública, Jornal Público
  • Cover and article in Revista + Arquitectura, Set
  • Article in Revista Arquitectura & Construção
  • Article in Architecktura Murator, May
  • Article in Arq./a, Arquitectura e Arte, April
  • 2007

  • Article in Revista Attitude, Nov/Dez