Portuguese architects looking for job opportunities around the world

The economic crisis brought a difficult situation to the Portuguese Construction panorama, as in other European Union countries such as Spain. With few work to develop both architects and Architecture related companies are forced to look into new opportunities in the global market.

Concerning the architects, some of these professionals take the chance of taking a job abroad sometimes with few or no experience at all in Portugal. Architect Bruno Moreira, creator of the Portuguese website "Arquitectos Pelo Mundo" (Architects Around the World), asks if Portugal is internationalising Architecture or if it's just exporting architects that probably won't come back to their country to work in their area of studies.

The Internet is the main vehicle to search and apply for international jobs, but some architects complement this strategy through the market exploration on site leveraging short trips to the destination countries, where they usually have friends that can give some support with contacts and accommodation. On these trips CV's are delivered directly to identified Architecture offices, increasing the chances of getting at least an interview.

Europe is still the most desired destination, through countries like Switzerland, United Kingdom, France, Netherlands and Nordic countries. Although can be identified other destination markets such as the Lusophone countries of Brazil, Angola and Mozambique, Middle East countries like United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar. China is also a recurring destination country for Portuguese architects.

The wage conditions are usually better than the ones practised in Portugal, but also the living cost is higher. Most times the decision of work abroad doesn't come out of an option but out of a necessity. With no significant work in Portugal, the European countries and the emergent markets of Middle East, Africa, South America and Asia are the options presented both to young and experienced Portuguese architects.

ARCHITECTURE REFERENCES - House in Tavira, Vítor Vilhena Architects

House in Tavira
Tavira, Portugal
Vítor Vilhena Architects, Portugal

Year: 2012
Area: 400 sqm
Photos: João Morgado

Descriptive memory by Vítor Vilhena Architects (text from Archdaily.com):
Context
South of Portugal, Algarve, Tavira. Here the ocean peeks, while the 400 olive trees surround the house. An old building has to give place to a new one, keeping the twovolume- footprint in the soft topography.

Solution
Based on the area occupied by the pre-existence, maintaining the orientation of the housing compartments south, the architectural concept seeks to create two parcels with separate identities, including one volume with irregular geometry and other volume of regular geometry that communicate through a glass hallway. The surrounding outdoors relate to the terrain, landscape and vegetation.

 
 

The world map of the Portuguese architects

"Arquitectos pelo Mundo" is a website that allows the user to find Portuguese architects working across borders. Developed by the architect Bruno Moreira, the website can be a very effective communication tool between Portuguese architects all over the world. Click on the image to access the map.

ARCHITECTURE REFERENCES - Platform of Arts and Creativity, Pitágoras Arquitectos

Platform of Arts And Creativity
Guimarães, Portugal
Pitágoras Arquitectos, Portugal

Year: 2012
Photos: José Campos

Descriptive memory by Pitágoras (text from Archdaily.com):
"The buildings that make up the Municipal Market and the space defined by them, commonly referred to as “the square”, a name inherited from market square are, as a unit, characteristic elements of the urban landscape of the city of Guimarães. The grounds of the old municipal market boasted a privileged and very central location with excellent accesses, very close to the Toural Square and the historic center.

With this project, the transformation of the marketplace into a multifunctional space dedicated to artistic, economic, cultural and social activities within the scope of European Capital of Culture 2012, allowed for the physical and functional reintegration into the urban fabric, to become a reality and so, to recover one key area of the city space. In addition, the operation extended to adjacent plots, enabling the regeneration of the interior space of the block, which was completely uncharacterized, as a result of its occupation by a marble processing industry.
The program provided a clear concept and defined the objectives intended to achieve with this infrastructure, listing a series of skills and spaces that constitute the functional program for both the new and the existing buildings, as well as the adjacent plots of land. For this purpose three major program areas were defined:

• Art Center, which houses a permanent collection, in this case the Collection of José Guimarães, temporary exhibition area, a multipurpose space for additional activities, performances and shows, in addition to a series of complementary services.
• Creative Labs (business support offices) for the reception and installation of activities related to creative industries, allowing the development of business projects.
• Workshops to Support Emerging Creativity, consisting of workspaces and creative vocation for young creators in various areas, hoping to develop projects on a temporary basis.

Finally, the intent to recover the existing building on the eastern side, trying to promote the installation of additional commercial activities that could enhance the creation of a space with a broad scope in regards to multidisciplinary cultural activities. The whole structure, according to the program would complement the existing equipment in the city, as well as those which are under development within the European Capital of Culture.

When interpreting the program, we aimed to allow for the possibility of each one of its components to function independently and simultaneously, creating accesses to each of the various services and support areas, as well as to the outdoor square and garden. We opted for a methodology of intervention that involves the rehabilitation of the existing building to the east, keeping the materials and textures, but redoing the entire inside at level 0. For the building at north, and for reasons previously mentioned, the façade towards the Avenue, which characterizes the building, is renovated, but its interior and façade facing the square were object of and almost complete demolition and redesign. Although it is intended to maintain the scale and the existing formal relations, we propose a new solution for the building that promotes a strong relationship with the square and emphasizes the relationship of this structure with the outer space.

The new building takes a radically different language, by contrast with its surroundings, both from the standpoint of their language and image, discrete, repetitive, as well as by the succession of volumes, with full and empty, marked by the juxtaposition of contrasting surfaces. The coatings, a grid of metal profiles in brass and glass surfaces chromatised on ventilated façades, accentuates a range of textures that is intended display, more dense and opaque in the majority of faces in the case of the metal structure, and transparent when it covertly comes to glass surfaces that intentionally conceal the few openings that the building comprises. This series of volumes and dissonant elements, which result from decomposition of the initial volume, was originated by the need to create a variety of different spaces in the exhibition area, creating a tension evident in the volume of the building and the relationship with the space of the square, making it the main feature of its design.

For the square, we formulated a proposal with a drawing significantly more aseptic and a coating with large concrete slabs, as a counterpart to the surrounding buildings, characterized as a large reception and a multifunctional meeting area, translated into a physical platform, summing its vocation as public space by nature. It will be an area purposely under fitted, with the preservation of the large trees to the east, by introducing some elements of vegetation along the north building, but leaving most of the free space allowing for the development of numerous spontaneously or organized activities, in the scope of the Platform or not. The urban furniture used in the square comprises moveable elements, allowing for a more versatile use."