Paulo Vale Afonso is an architect based in Porto, Portugal.
He develops creative processes and cultural contents focusing on space, territory and society, rooted deep within its context and time.
Paulo Vale Afonso (1982. Ponte de Lima, Portugal) is graduated in architecture from the Architecture Department of Coimbra’s University (Portugal) and NTNU (Trondheim, Norway).
Through collaborative working networks, he has been developing studies and projects of architecture, both independently or in collaboration with other individuals, companies and/or organizations, as well as collaborating in other design offices in the development of architectural projects in all its design phases.
Since 2009 he has been collaborating in several architecture offices in Portugal, Barcelona, Peru and Macau, amongst which OAB – Carlos Ferrater Partnership, Impromptu Projects, and 51-1 Arquitectos, the Peruvian branch of Supersudaca. He has worked on several international projects of various scales and was a project leader in 51-1 Arquitectos, responsible for the design and delivery of major projects.
He was a co-founder of AMA – Afonso Maccaglia Architecture (2012-2014) where he has developed mainly educational projects in the Peruvian jungle, awarded in the XIX Bienal Panamericana de Quito 2014 and finalists in the “Oscar Niemeyer” Award of Latin-American Architecture 2016 and in the X BIAU 2016.
Has been shortlisted as one of the 10 architects/studios selected worldwide to the Début Award for architects under the age of 35 of the 4th Lisbon Architecture Triennale in 2016, and his work has been presented in conferences and published worldwide.
He is a co-founder/partner of RAS·A and a co-founder of Morfema Magazine.
Since 2021, he is a Senior Architect / Project Leader in Masslab.
Alongside architecture, he’s been exploring in the field of photography, taking pictures wherever he goes, recollecting memories and creating personal visual narratives of the places he passes through.
His photography is focused on contemporary landscape and urbanscape, how we inhabit the land, as well as the relationship between us, the space we inhabit and our memory.
His first solo exhibition takes place in 2021.
“Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving.
What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things,
long after you have forgotten everything.”
Aaron Siskind
Selected Honors
1st Prize Collective Equipment in Prémios Espaço 2024 ∙ Portugal
Selected Inter-American Development Bank Catalogue
“Escuelas del siglo XXI en América Latina y el Caribe” 2018
Nominated Plataforma Arquitectura Obra del Año 2017
Finalist Oscar Niemeyer Award for Latin American Architecture 2016
Shortlisted Lisbon Triennale Début Award 2016 ∙ Lisboa, Portugal
Finalist in X Bienal Iberoamericana de Arquitectura y Urbanismo (BIAU) 2016 ∙ São Paulo, Brasil
2nd Prize Social Habitat and Development in XIX Panamerican Architecture Biennial of Quito (BAQ) 2014 ∙ Quito, Ecuador
Finalist Archdaily Building of the Year 2015 – Educational
Shortlisted Peru X Bienal Iberoamericana de Arquitectura y Urbanismo (BIAU) 2014 ∙ Argentina
Longlisted 4th Holcim Awards for Sustainable Architecture 2014
Publications
books & magazines
IDEAS DE HABITAT - Arquitectura en Peru 2010 - 2020 ∙ Peru, 2021
Ofzine #2 "Going South" ∙ Portugal, 2021
Encontros de Arquitectura II / Escola de Coimbra ∙ Portugal, 2019
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN 7 ∙ France, 2018
“Escuelas del en América Latina y el Caribe” Catalogue ∙ online, 2018
Casa & Construção 149 ∙ Brasil, 2018
GREEN BUILDING Magazine ∙ Taiwan, 2017
RADICAL. 50 Arquitecturas Latinoamericanas ∙ México, 2016
Boundaries n. 17 “Rebuilding the Future: Culture” ∙ Italy, 2016
Summa+ 151 “Tipologias” ∙ Argentina, 2016
Arquitectura Viva 185 “For Children” ∙ Spain, 2016
C3 Magazine 376 “Regionalism and Global Diversity” ∙ South Corea, 2015
Arkinka n. 240 “Espacios Educativos” ∙ Peru, 2015
Catalogue BAQ 2014 ∙ Ecuador, 2015
Proyecta n. 34 ∙ Peru, 2015
Proyecta n. 31 ∙ Peru, 2015
Arkinka n. 221 “Espacios Educativos” ∙ Peru, 2014
Boundaries n. 9 “Do-it-yourself Architecture” ∙ Italy, 2014
articles
(Lost) In Translation in Morfema n. 4 “Escolas” ∙ Portugal, 2017
Fronteira: ponto de contacto in Morfema n. 3 “Fronteira(s)” ∙ Portugal, 2016
Cantagallo: uma ilha urbana in Morfema n. 2 “Casas do Povo” ∙ Portugal, 2015
Arquitectura de mercado, ou o mercado da arquitectura in Morfema n. 1 “Mercado” ∙ Portugal, 2015
web
The New Wood Open Architecture Atlas ∙ Tanto Mar ∙ Arquitectura panamericana ∙ arqa ∙ Domus ∙ Archdaily ∙ Plataforma Arquitectura ∙ Impactdesignhub ∙ construccionyvivienda.com ∙ Socializarq ∙ Redfundamentos ∙ veoverde ∙ Livegreenblog ∙ Habitar blog ∙ Apuntes de Arquitectura ∙ Revista Código ∙ presS/Tinternational ∙ La Republica ∙ Ipsilon/Público ∙ O Minho
Exhibitions
Mira Mobile Prize B&W 2021
Porto, Portugal ∙ 2021
Going South
Viana do Castelo, Portugal ∙ 2021
Mira Mobile Prize 2018
Porto, Portugal ∙ 2018
Mextropoli 2017
Mexico City ∙ 2017
Premio ON
Quito, Ecuador ∙ 2016
XIX Bienal panamericana de Quito
Quito, Ecuador ∙ 2014
Tanto Mar, Portugueses fora de Portugal
Lisbon, Portugal ∙ 2014
Conferences and lectures
Diálogos Habitar América Latina - Ancestralidades
REDBAAL / UIA2021RIO ∙ Jun 2021
Beyond (in)formal in Expedition19
Instituto, Porto, Portugal ∙ Jul 2019
Quinzena19
Instituto, Porto, Portugal ∙ Jan 2019
Encontro de Arquitectura Escola de Coimbra
FCTUC, Coimbra, Portugal ∙ Sep 2018
Construir com a Comunidade
ESAP, Porto, Portugal ∙ May 2017
Novos Espaços Educativos na Selva Peruana
Departamento de Arquitectura FCTUC, Coimbra, Portugal ∙ Feb 2016
Novos Espaços Educativos na Selva Peruana
Rotary Club, Ponte de Lima, Portugal ∙ Jan 2016
Bitácora Abierta
UpeU, Lima, Peru ∙ Nov 2014
Conferencias Magistrales – Espacios Educativos
Colegio de Arquitectos del Peru. Huancayo, Peru ∙ Jun 2014
Arquitectura y Identidad
UCAL, Lima, Peru ∙ Jun 2014
Nuevos Espacios Educativos en el Perú
Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo PUCP, Lima, Peru ∙ Apr 2014
Contacts