Founded in 2002, Inês Lobo Arquitectos has developed a consistent and widely recognised practice, characterised by a strong alignment with major public investment programmes in Portugal. The studio’s work spans multiple scales of intervention — from the architectural object to the territorial framework — encompassing projects in educational, cultural, housing and urban domains, as well as research initiatives and innovation within the construction sector.This overview organises the studio’s principal fields of activity into seven structural domains.
I. Public Facilities
In the early 2000s, Portugal initiated an extensive programme to expand and consolidate its higher education system. Within this framework, the studio participated in several public competitions, obtaining commissions that made a significant contribution to the development of national academic and cultural infrastructures.
Selected Projects:
- Heahth Faculty – University of Évora
- Mosque in Mouraria
- Boavista Church
- Gulbenkian South Vertex
- Charles Lepierre French School
- Shading Structure, Gulbenkian Gardens
- Sports Faculty – University of Coimbra
- Ajuda National Palace
- School in Cabo Verde
- Ferreira Construções Headquarters
- “Garage Films” Headquarters
- Ordem São João de Deus Museum and Residences
- Art and Architecture Faculty
- Public Library and Archive Luís da Silva Ribeiro
- BIOMED III – Health Sciences Campus III
II. Secondary School Modernisation Programme
The approval of the National Secondary School Modernisation Programme in 2007 marked a decisive step in the renewal of educational facilities across Portugal. The initiative sought to reconfigure school environments in accordance with new pedagogical approaches, technological demands and contemporary construction standards. The studio contributed to this nationally significant transformation through the design of several secondary schools in the central and northern regions.
Selected Projects:
III. Urban Rehabilitation and Strategic Planning
From 2012 onwards, following the curatorship of the Portuguese Representation at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the studio deepened its engagement with urban-scale interventions, focusing particularly on Lisbon’s strategic areas of transformation. This work also includes an international commission for the city of Bergamo, Italy.
Selected Projects:
IV. Housing
In recent years, the studio has dedicated substantial attention to public and affordable housing programmes, addressing contemporary urban challenges through both the rehabilitation of existing residential complexes and the design of new housing typologies.
Selected Projects:
- Quinta das Conchinhas Public Affordable Housing and Public Space
- Castêlo da Maia Public Affordable Housing and Public Space
- Zorra Estate
- Lezíria Estate
- Casa Atelier
- Príncipe Housing
- Quelhas House
- Rainha D. Leonor Public Housing
- Row Houses
- Grândola House
- Magoito House
- OR02 Public Affordable Housing and Public Space
V. Innovation in Construction
At a moment of significant transformation within the Portuguese construction sector, the studio is part of a multidisciplinary research consortium responsible for the development of a Living Lab dedicated to applied experimentation, prototyping and the evaluation of new construction methodologies.
Selected Projects:
VI. Research and Knowledge Production
Parallel to its professional practice, the studio engages in research that broadens the analytical understanding of urban and territorial transformations, with a particular focus on the Lisbon Metropolitan Area. These projects are developed within academic institutions, research platforms and collaborative frameworks situated at the intersection of architectural practice and strategic urban thinking.
Selected Research Projects:
VII. Exibitions and Representations
Selected Research Projects:
- Overlappings – 6 portuguese architecture studios
- Flashback Carrilho da Graça – Casa da Arquitetura
- Intimacy Ideas – Note Gallery
- Cité de la Architecture – Plateforme de la création architecturale
- Two Houses Paulo Mendes da Rocha – Casa da Arquitetura
- FreeSpace – La Biennale di Veneza 2018
- People – La Biennale di Veneza 2016
- [Public] Spaces – Casa da Cerca
- Inside a Creative Mind – Gulbenkian Foundation
- Arts Center – Gulbenkian’s Modern and Contemporary Art Museum
- Os Generosos – Theatre Set
- Habitar Portugal
- Cinco Africas Cinco Escolas _ Bienal de S.Paulo 2009
- Lisbon Ground _ Venice Biennale