Project I: Atelier Aires Mateus

The project is the material outcome of an idea: a process that unfolds from the territorial scale to the physical dimension of architecture, explored and tested through large-scale models and varied material expressions. 

The course focuses on the process that leads from the initial idea to the architectural project, exploring it in both spatial and programmatic terms, from the territorial scale down to construction details and materiality. It encourages students to develop their work independently and critically, while also fostering a clear and effective ability to communicate the project, both visually and verbally.

In presence

The studio investigates the characteristics that enable architecture to endure while remaining open to change. Through research, drawings, models, and texts, we reflect on what makes architecture resilient and capable of accommodating evolving functions. A building endures not only through material solidity but also through structural flexibility that responds to social and cultural transformations. Adaptive reuse preserves the built heritage while ensuring its sustainability and relevance.
The aim is to propose interventions that enhance the existing urban fabric and contribute to a broader reflection on sustainable, adaptable, and resilient city-making. “Stitching” the city means imagining architectures that endure, serve communities, and enrich the dialogue between built form and lived experience.
A building’s resilience lies in its capacity to host multiple functions across space and time. For this reason, architects reflect on structures that remain open to future possibilities.

Final critique

• Kyoto, Japan, 18.09.25 - 17.10.25 (Compulsory)