architouralgarve | architecture | algarve

Architect… in the Service of the Lord

My beloved grandmother, God bless her soul, was a deeply devout Catholic. Her greatest wish was to go on pilgrimage to Lourdes at the end of her life, but she never made it further than Kevelaer — a Marian pilgrimage site just across the German border near Venlo. For us as children, Kevelaer was impressive enough. I especially remember the glowing plastic statuettes of the Virgin Mary in little grottoes with tiny doors that my grandmother brought home and that later adorned o

BB & Villa Malaparte

At the death of a world star like Brigitte Bardot, my thoughts inevitably turn to Jean-Luc Godard’s iconic film Le Mépris . Above all, it is the use of the Villa Malaparte on Capri that has fixed this place forever in my architectural memory, inseparably bound to Bardot’s almost divine body. On this secluded terrace, after the arduous climb upward, building and beauty merge seamlessly. Villa Malaparte is far more than a film set. Like Bardot herself, it is the main character.

Article in 'The Times'

Brutalist Discovery Tour on the Campus da Penha of the University of the Algarve in Faro

Video of the Brutalist Discovery Tour on Campus da Penha during the recent Modernist Weekend in Faro. We discovered this hidden Brutalist gem during a guided walk across Campus da Penha, the first university complex of the University of the Algarve , built in the 1970s and embodying a distinctly Portuguese late-modernist vision. The raw concrete structures , sweeping sightlines , and open structuralist spaces reflect the ambitions of that era, revealed in this piece of

Ballad of a Small Player & Learning from Las Vegas in Macao

From Mozambique to Macao When I was living in Mozambique — a former Portuguese colony — I made a firm decision to one day visit all of Portugal’s former colonies . In the end, I only made it to three African countries: Mozambique , Guinea-Bissau , and Angola . The other Portuguese territories — Cape Verde , São Tomé and Príncipe (in Africa), and Goa (in India) and Macao (in China) — remained on my wish list . And it was precisely the last of these that recently crossed

Edificio Pires & Brito

The Modernist Weekend The Modernist Weekend in Faro is coming up again (7/8/9 November) so it is good to tell the story about 'Edifício Pires & Brito ' a building that is not yet included in the program of The Modernist Weekend, but may be in the future. https://www.themodernistweekend.com 'Edifício Pires & Brito in Faro Year: 1973 Category: Residential and Commercial Building Location: Corner Rua Aboim Ascensão / Rua Frei Lourenço de Santa Maria - Faro Architect: Manu

The book 'The Smell of Olhão is in Town

The books have arrived in Olhão. The authors have popped the champagne and are feeling satisfied. On Sunday afternoon, November 9th, at 5:00 PM , the presentation and signing of The Smell of Olhão will take place at República 14 in Olhão – complete with a vernissage and party . One of the many 'atmospheric' drawings by Edwin The text on the back cover says it all: “Warning: this is not another stupid travel guide.” And that’s no lie. The abundance of drawings makes it some