© © Fernando Guerra / FG+SG

25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal

These architecture firms are leading the way in Portugal and beyond.

Architizer Editors Architizer Editors

Located at the southwest point of Europe, Portugal’s architecture is pluralistic, site-specific and thoughtful. Enjoying a coastline connected to the Atlantic and bordering Spain to the east, the country is filled with breathtaking landscapes and historical sites. Portugal’s heritage architecture reflects its complex colonial history, countless foreign invasions and various cultural encounters — all of which are reflected in today’s built environment. Walking the streets of Lisbon, one will encounter influences from Moorish, Roman and Goan cultures (to name a few), creating a colorful architecture characterized by a dovetail of ethnicities.

And while Portugal’s heritage architecture and well-preserved cities remain impressive, its modernist scene is also cause for excitement. Emerging from the Escola de Porto (now the School of Architecture at the University of Porto) were some of the most influential contributors to modernism. And no three designers epitomize Portuguese modernism quite than Fernando Távora, Álvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura. Think the playful design of the Paula Rego Museum, the spatially-attuned Piscinas de Marés. Portuguese modernism can be characterized by its geometric simplicity and environmental synergy.

And today’s architects continue to champion the ethos of the Escola de Porto through innovative volumetric forms which embrace minimalism. The aesthetic sensibilities expressed by Portuguese architects are extremely powerful yet very basic. Portuguese modernism is void of frivolous embellishments and unnecessary ornament, and perhaps that is why so many find themselves drawn to it.

With so many architecture firms to choose from, it’s challenging for clients to identify the industry leaders that will be an ideal fit for their project needs. Fortunately, Architizer is able to provide guidance on the top design firms in Portugal based on more than a decade of data and industry knowledge.

How are these architecture firms ranked?

The following ranking has been created according to key statistics that demonstrate each firm’s level of architectural excellence. The following metrics have been accumulated to establish each architecture firm’s ranking, in order of priority:

  • The number of A+Awards won (2013 to 2023)
  • The number of A+Awards finalists (2013 to 2023)
  • The number of projects selected as “Project of the Day” (2009 to 2023)
  • The number of projects selected as “Featured Project” (2009 to 2023)
  • The number of projects uploaded to Architizer (2009 to 2023)

Each of these metrics is explained in more detail at the foot of this article. This ranking list will be updated annually, taking into account new achievements of Portugal architecture firms throughout the year.

Without further ado, here are the 25 best architecture firms in Portugal:


25. SAMF Arquitectos

© SAMF Arquitectos

© SAMF Arquitectos

SAMF Arquitectos was established in 1999 by Sara Antunes and Mário Ferreira. The office has developed several projects throughout the country, ranging from housing, to schools, to churches. Due to an intense dialogue with the client, the site and the program, the projects develop personalized and unique characteristics, maintaining a constant care with materials and construction.

Some of SAMF Arquitectos’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped SAMF Arquitectos achieve 25th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

Featured Projects 5
Total Projects 7

24. M2 SENOS

© Nelson Garrido

© Nelson Garrido

M2.senos is an atelier of architecture created by siblings Sofia Senos and Ricardo Senos in 2007. With the collaboration of a vast multidisciplinary team, formed by experts on different areas, M2.Senos develop studies and projects of architecture, interior architecture, urbanism, rehabilitation, design and investigation, through the use of innovative strategies, as a way of integrating various themes, conception, execution, management and communication of our projects, assuring the best accompaniment to all the necessary specialties required to the optimization of the whole project. M2.Senos assume as its principle the support to the practice of arts, based on a continuous reflection on its themes, sustained on the integration of knowledge of all arts.

Some of M2 SENOS’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped M2 SENOS achieve 24th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

Featured Projects 5
Total Projects 9

23. Arkstudio

© Rodrigo Cardoso

© Rodrigo Cardoso

Arkstudio is a multi disciplinary platform that combines architecture, interior design, styling and photography, the platform was founded in 2013 by Margarida Matias and we work in the fields of architecture, renovation, interior design, styling and photography.

Our motivation is to create cozy atmospheres, innovative solutions, and we place the user needs in the center of our proposals. The purpose of our research is to generate distinct ambiences that prioritize individual and collective well-being, combining an aesthetic with a functionality, and the legacy of Portuguese identity allied to the debugging of the Nordic language.

Some of Arkstudio’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Arkstudio achieve 23rd place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

Featured Projects 5
Total Projects 13

22. A2OFFICE

© A2OFFICE

© A2OFFICE

A2OFFICE is a multidisciplinary studio of architecture and design headquartered in Vila do Conde, Porto, Portugal and is formed by a team of professionals dedicated to the study and development of projects in this area.

Some of A2OFFICE’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped A2OFFICE achieve 22nd place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

Featured Projects 5
Total Projects 18

21. Carvalho Araújo

Based in Braga (Portugal) and São Paulo (Brazil), Carvalho Araújo’s studio is committed to the search and reflection of different approaches in the fields of architecture, product design and creative direction, trying to combine the design practice with a more strategic view. The projects and products Carvalho Araújo are characterized by elegance and a formal containment attitude, emphasizing the quality of design, proportions and materials. The design is no reason for exhibitionism, but rather a perfectly rational and simultaneously poetic act.

Both in architecture as in the design fields, rather than respond to a specific program or application, it is important for us to question the problems from a formal and strategic point of view, either in the markets but also (in the case of architectural projects) its scale, uses and interaction with the place.

Some of Carvalho Araújo’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Carvalho Araújo achieve 21st place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

A+Awards Winner 1
A+Awards Finalist 2
Featured Projects 8
Total Projects 5

20. Bak Gordon Arquitectos

© Francisco Nogueira

© Francisco Nogueira

Bak Gordon Arquitectos (BGA) was established in 2002 by Ricardo Bak Gordon. The studio practice is best known for its residential houses, educational and public buildings. BGA projects are rooted in place, with strong sense and sensibility to the local features and contexts. Inherent of the fact that architecture is always a subjective equation, our approach is based on defining a strategy according to the typology, while at the same time being aware that each project has its own and unique answer.

Some of Bak Gordon Arquitectos’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Bak Gordon Arquitectos achieve 20th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

Featured Projects 6
Total Projects 6

19. PAULO MARTINS ARQ&DESIGN

© PAULO MARTINS ARQ&DESIGN

© PAULO MARTINS ARQ&DESIGN

The mission of our company is to develop solutions framed on the excellence of the study and development of architecture and urbanism projects as well as product and interior design. Since the very early stages of conception, each project is carefully approached in what regards the construction location, the environmental context and requirements, as well as the expectations of the final costumers, allowing to propose high valued architectural services.

An important part of our mission takes place on an international context, allowing us to export as well as import novel architecture and design concepts and solutions. This allows us to offer an ever growing selection of proposals for the highest demanding customers. Our company is guided by a unique vision: propose spaces and objects that are aesthetically and formally stimulating and pleasant, always keeping in mind the requirements of the surrounding environment.

Some of PAULO MARTINS ARQ&DESIGN’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped PAULO MARTINS ARQ&DESIGN achieve 19th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

Featured Projects 7
Total Projects 12

18. Manuel Tojal Architects

Manuel Tojal Architects Studio is an architecture studio founded in 2014. We develop projects of different scales and orders, with programs such as housing, services and public space. We work in collaboration with a variety of professionals, including engineers, landscape architects and artists. We dedicate ourselves to architecture in an almost obsessive way, where the incessant search for alchemy transforms the profession into a way of living. From rehabilitation to construction from scratch, the work method seeks to achieve non-normative, creative and transformative results.

We are aware of the impact of the profession, on the planet, in the city, in the countryside and on people and therefore concepts such as sustainability, heritage and technology are fundamental to us. Our work translates into a great appreciation of the property and the management of the various expectations of the client. For us, it is essential to develop the more laboratory side of the studio, focusing on researching new construction techniques and materials, incorporating them into the studio’s design method.

Some of Manuel Tojal Architects’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Manuel Tojal Architects achieve 18th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

A+Awards Winner 1
Featured Projects 5
Total Projects 7

17. spaceworkers

© spaceworkers

© spaceworkers

spaceworkers® is an architecture and design studio located in Paredes, Portugal, directed by architects Henrique Marques and Rui Dinis. The studio based its practice on the exploration and constant search of new paradigms of contemporary architecture in order to achieve a close relation between the form and emotions.

Some of spaceworkers’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped spaceworkers achieve 17th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

A+Awards Winner 1
A+Awards Finalist 1
Featured Projects 6
Total Projects 12

16. António Costa Lima Arquitectos

© António Costa Lima Arquitectos

© António Costa Lima Arquitectos

António Costa Lima Arquitectos is a multidisciplinary atelier, by multiplying its experience in various sectors. We always seek a response with maximum efficiency and quality in creativity and professionalism on the goal of full satisfaction of customers. Our services cover a variety of activities – from architecture, rehabilitation, urban planning and sustainable design.

Some of António Costa Lima Arquitectos’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped António Costa Lima Arquitectos achieve 16th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

A+Awards Winner 1
Featured Projects 7
Total Projects 8

15. Guedes Cruz Architects

© Guedes Cruz Architects

© Guedes Cruz Architects

Guedes Cruz Arquitectos is a Lisbon-based office founded by José Guedes Cruz and dedicated to architecture and urbanism. With a very wide curriculum, its activity continues with a team of young architects dedicated to the creation of projects in the field of culture, housing, tourism, sports, well-being and health, etc., designed combining rationality, functionality and art.

Some of Guedes Cruz Architects’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Guedes Cruz Architects achieve 15th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

A+Awards Winner 2
Featured Projects 5
Total Projects 5

14. Ventura + Partners

© Nelson Garrido

© Nelson Garrido

Ventura + Partners is a company dedicated to the development of architecture, design and urbanism projects, founded in 1994 by Manuel Ventura. With offices in Portugal, USA and France – and projects in more than a dozen countries – this global studio currently employs about 80 collaborators around the world. In the last 25 years, we have been developing projects of different scales and in the most diverse architecture segments, such as commercial, corporate, residential, hospitality, industrial, healthcare, mobility and urban space. Combining a solid experience with ongoing research and innovation, we are committed to pursuing integrated and sustainable solutions through strategic planning.

Some of Ventura + Partners’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Ventura + Partners achieve 14th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

A+Awards Winner 2
Featured Projects 6
Total Projects 14

13. MARLENE ULDSCHMIDT ARCHITECTS

© MARLENE ULDSCHMIDT ARCHITECTS STUDIO

© MARLENE ULDSCHMIDT ARCHITECTS STUDIO

Based in Portugal, in the small village of Ferragudo in the Algarve, Marlene Uldschmidt Studio believes in a rigorous process that starts with drawing inspiration from the place, the clients, the story we are called to tell and the land we are honoured to build upon, and proceed through innovatively classic design, careful selection of textures and materials to dress the space and exceptional craftsmanship to realize the interiors. At the Studio, we absorb the sense of place, interpret the idea our client envisages and work with and around what’s available to achieve the desired results. We sculpt an atmosphere out of space and gift our clients with the confidence to trust that’s all possible, that in us they have found a competent and professional partner they can rely on.

Our greatest satisfaction is to identify the best possible solution to a given challenge. The task is to find that solution. That is what our Studio feeds on and gets inspired by. Every project is treated as unique and displays a clear signature mark, without being mere replicas of an adopted model. At the Studio, we always start with a blank piece of paper and carve each project’s idea out of the void space that hosts endless possibilities.

Some of MARLENE ULDSCHMIDT ARCHITECTS’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped MARLENE ULDSCHMIDT ARCHITECTS achieve 13th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

A+Awards Winner 1
Featured Projects 7
Total Projects 14

12. Barbosa & Guimarães Architects

© Barbosa & Guimarães Architects

© Barbosa & Guimarães Architects

Barbosa & Guimarães Architects develops projects in various fields of architecture, ranging from public procurement contracts, educational buildings, health centers, sports facilities, cultural facilities, hotel equipment, institutional architecture, urban design, as well as the private residential buildings, commercial facilities and offices.

The capacity to approach a program, inseparable from a client in a specific physical context, history and culture, embracing the expertise we have at our disposal or in some cases even forcing new techniques, and innovation, always trying to introduce an artistic intention, which will prove decisive in the final shape of the object. When the form, function and structure are harmoniously fused in a single thing, we hit the unity, which we consider truly essential in our architecture.

Some of Barbosa & Guimarães Architects’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Barbosa & Guimarães Architects achieve 12th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

Featured Projects 8
Total Projects 7

11. FAHR 021.3

© FAHR 021.3

© FAHR 021.3

FAHR 021.3 is a collaborative practice working in the intersection of art and architecture. Based in Porto, the studio was founded by two architects, Filipa Frois Almeida and Hugo Reis. The duo explores the language and methodology of architecture applied to unexpected locations and materials. Their work comes in a variety of forms, including installations, site-specific art, performances, and interventions.

Some of FAHR 021.3’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped FAHR 021.3 achieve 11th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

Featured Projects 8
Total Projects 13

10. Estúdio AMATAM

© Estúdio AMATAM

© Estúdio AMATAM

Manuela Tamborino and João Escaleira Amaral are two young architects who decided to join skills, in order to embrace new challenges in various areas of Architecture and Urbanism range, whose visible result translates into the creation of the estúdio AMATAM, and Coletivo Urbano. These two structures allow them to operate in different scenarios, from Design, Architecture and Urbanism, both formal and informal strategies in different countries.

The search for innovative solutions punctuated with creative approaches that brings architecture closer to an art form, together with customer satisfaction, are vectors that guide the focus of this team. The experience gained in various national and international offices, along with collaboration with other architects on specific assignments allows them to ensure excellence and professionalism in all involved projects.

Some of Estúdio AMATAM’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Estúdio AMATAM achieve 10th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

Featured Projects 8
Total Projects 14

9. NOARQ

© NOARQ

© NOARQ

NOARQ is the name of a willingness of doing and thinking by hands. Since 1998, the studio evolved into an area of research, creation and production by drawing: for the land, architecture and everyday objects. Today it is located in Trofa, but it still mantains its roots in Porto.

Some of NOARQ’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped NOARQ achieve 9th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

Featured Projects 9
Total Projects 13

8. PROMONTORIO

© PROMONTORIO

© PROMONTORIO

PROMONTORIO is a full-service architecture, planning, landscaping, interior design and graphics team that began in Lisbon in 1990 as an experimental studio.  It consistently grew into a practice of fifty architects, planners, landscape architects, interior designers and graphic designers.Underlying its approach to the urban form, the work of PROMONTORIO has often been identified with the pursuit of a ‘system of robustness’ (i.e. solidity, stability and durability) both in terms of representational meaning and technical research. This in turn, has been implemented and tested in vast construction sites and under challenging time and budget constrains. Our process springs from a dynamic and focused design culture that fosters collaboration above all.

Some of PROMONTORIO’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped PROMONTORIO achieve 8th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

A+Awards Finalist 1
Featured Projects 8
Total Projects 13

7. ARX Arquitectos

© ARX Arquitectos

© ARX Arquitectos

Our architecture doesn’t follow a lexicon or a stabilized language. In every new project we try to find the “vocables” for a specific language to the new context. More than searching common points between each new project and the previous, our interest focus more on finding differences. It is as if we were always returning to zero. And, at a certain level, that is our conception of innovation. Evidently this approach also opens up a vast research field. Not having to work within rigid precepts, we search an experimental path where we can test new concepts starting from what interest and fascinates us.

Some of ARX Arquitectos’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped ARX Arquitectos achieve 7th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

Featured Projects 10
Total Projects 7

6. Tiago do Vale Arquitectos

© Tiago do Vale Arquitectos

© Tiago do Vale Arquitectos

“A clear architecture that tells a recognizable story.” We relate to architecture in an absolutely global, encompassing and multidisciplinary fashion, focusing above all on the client, on exhaustive accuracy, on transparency and on the quality of the constructed work.

We’re currently developing projects and studies in architecture, urban planning and design, industrial design, furniture design and graphic arts, from single graphic elements to complete corporate images. In spite of our broad view of our company’s intervention field, we’re specially dedicated to restoration, requalification, urban rehabilitation, sustainability and energetic efficiency, health equipments, schools and hospitality.

Some of Tiago do Vale Arquitectos’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Tiago do Vale Arquitectos achieve 6th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

A+Awards Winner 3
Featured Projects 7
Total Projects 9

5. Plano Humano Arquitectos

© Plano Humano Arquitectos

© Plano Humano Arquitectos

We are young architects, living architecture as a true team work. We believe and invest in muti-disciplinary partnerships, as a richest way to achieve better quality architecture.
Our project objectives and procedure are based on choices of simplicity and formal clearance, seeking for the essence of the constructed object and avowing the elements that may distort or stain his true reading.

Despite these minimalist choices and rejection of excess of formal complexity, we give maximum attention to details and to the characterization of our buildings by the implementation of a strong and strategic materiality. We take advantage of cutting edge technology and its constant input’s to architectural materiality,, either through new materials discovered or by transformation or conjugation of existing ones, we experiment new materials. The architectural design we developed establishes and follows a building history.

Some of Plano Humano Arquitectos’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Plano Humano Arquitectos achieve 5th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

A+Awards Winner 4
A+Awards Finalist 1
Featured Projects 5
Total Projects 10

4. Rebelo de Andrade

Based in Lisbon, our studio works internationally on cultural, commercial and residential projects. We provide masterplanning, architecture, interior design, product and furniture design services for both the private and public sectors.

Some of Rebelo de Andrade’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Rebelo de Andrade achieve 4th place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

A+Awards Winner 4
A+Awards Finalist 1
Featured Projects 9
Total Projects 12

3. Aires Mateus

© Nelson Garrido

© Nelson Garrido

Aires Mateus e Associados was founded by Manuel Aires Mateus, a Lisbon-based architect. The firm has completed an array of residential, cultural and refurbishment designs all throughout Portugal.

Some of Aires Mateus’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Aires Mateus achieve 3rd place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

Featured Projects 13
Total Projects 15

2. fala atelier

© fala atelier

© fala atelier

A self-proclaimed “naïve architecture practice,” fala atelier is based in Porto with a primary focus on residential architecture.

Some of fala atelier’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped fala atelier achieve 2nd place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

Featured Projects 12
Total Projects 19

1. Mario Martins Atelier

MÁRIO MARTINS – ATELIER DE ARQUITECTURA, LDA is based in Lagos and Lisbon and has worked in the field of architecture and urban planning for about 30 years. The company consists of a diverse team of permanent staff, a group of technical teams, who work together in the different areas and specializations of projects.

The work from the past decades, resulted in a considerable volume and diversity of built projects: single family houses, collective housing, residential condominiums, touristic developments, private and public facilities, urban renewal and urban planning.

Some of Mario Martins Atelier’s most prominent projects include:

The following statistics helped Mario Martins Atelier achieve 1st place in the 25 Best Architecture Firms in Portugal:

A+Awards Winner 2
Featured Projects 19
Total Projects 13

Why Should I Trust Architizer’s Ranking?

With more than 30,000 architecture firms and over 130,000 projects within its database, Architizer is proud to host the world’s largest online community of architects and building product manufacturers. Its celebrated A+Awards program is also the largest celebration of architecture and building products, with more than 400 jurors and hundreds of thousands of public votes helping to recognize the world’s best architecture each year.

Architizer also powers firm directories for a number of AIA (American Institute of Architects) Chapters nationwide, including the official directory of architecture firms for AIA New York.

An example of a project page on Architizer with Project Award Badges highlighted

A Guide to Project Awards

The blue “+” badge denotes that a project has won a prestigious A+Award as described above. Hovering over the badge reveals details of the award, including award category, year, and whether the project won the jury or popular choice award.

The orange Project of the Day and yellow Featured Project badges are awarded by Architizer’s Editorial team, and are selected based on a number of factors. The following factors increase a project’s likelihood of being featured or awarded Project of the Day status:

  • Project completed within the last 3 years
  • A well written, concise project description of at least 3 paragraphs
  • Architectural design with a high level of both functional and aesthetic value
  • High quality, in focus photographs
  • At least 8 photographs of both the interior and exterior of the building
  • Inclusion of architectural drawings and renderings
  • Inclusion of construction photographs

There are 7 Projects of the Day each week and a further 31 Featured Projects. Each Project of the Day is published on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram Stories, while each Featured Project is published on Facebook. Each Project of the Day also features in Architizer’s Weekly Projects Newsletter and shared with 170,000 subscribers.

 

Top image: Casa das Freiras by Mario Martins Atelier, Lagos, Portugal


We’re constantly look for the world’s best architects to join our community. If you would like to understand more about this ranking list and learn how your firm can achieve a presence on it, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at editorial@architizer.com.

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