As tragic as they may be, crises often foster adaptability and resilience. In architecture, they challenge professionals to adapt their production to smaller and less frequent orders. That is the case of Diogo Aguiar Studio, a Portuguese studio based in Porto founded in 2016, in the recovery from a profound economic crisis, which, since its emergence, has been forced to reinvent ways of operating within the field of architecture.
Interested in varied scales and typologies, the studio works between the fields of architecture and art, carrying out small-scale architectural projects and spatial installations, temporary or not, for public spaces. Formed by Diogo Aguiar, Daniel Mudrák, Adalgisa Lopes, João Teixeira, Cláudia Ricciuti, and Marta Bednarczyk, the studio bases its practice on the belief that "there are no small projects and, above all, that there are no smaller projects." The ability to respond inventively to diverse demands and contexts earned the studio a place on ArchDaily's 2023 Best New Practices list.
We spoke with Diogo Aguiar about the studio's operations in Portugal and the transitions between art and architecture in its production.
Romullo Baratto (ArchDaily): Diogo Aguiar Studio was founded in 2016 when Europe was recovering from an economic crisis. Do you think that the conditions of that moment influenced the studio's vision of architecture and the projects that have since been developed?
Diogo Aguiar: The specific Portuguese context is unique, but since the period of "economic recovery" in 2016, numerous "young" Portuguese practices, such as fala or Summary, have emerged and solidified. This growth is attributed, in part, to increased access to orders, particularly private ones on a small scale.
More recently, the pandemic period and the current global geopolitical context forced many adaptations, whether in the internal dynamics of offices or the relationship with the construction industry or the market. In any case, and although we are aware that a large part of architectural production is an inevitable consequence of demand or commissioning, we try not to let the market directly dictate the direction of our practice. At the same time, we invest in collaboration strategies with other studios, seeking to broaden the spectrum of our practice through the constant exchange of ideas, whether with Architectural Affairs, on a more recurring basis, in the project or curation or, more punctually with other studios, like Sepioz, for example.
Our studio, comprised of Daniel Mudrák, Adalgisa Lopes, João Teixeira, Cláudia Ricciuti, and Marta Bednarczyk, is deeply invested in exploring material and spatial concepts that elevate the essence of architecture. We firmly believe in tailoring each project without making aesthetic compromises upfront. While acknowledging the prevailing fascination with precise geometries, abstract forms, and timeless spatialities, we are equally drawn to the potential of ready-made logic and the sensory exploration of immersive material experiences. On one hand, we enjoy envisioning the evidence, but we actively steer away from proposing spatial solutions that lean towards banality. Simultaneously, we strive to challenge conventional norms and introduce new programs or hybrid typologies to underline the significance of our work. Our primary goal is to identify the compelling argument that serves as the driving force behind each project's conception and existence.
That is, for example, the case of Círculo Azul, a small work of public art in Estarreja (Portugal), where we transformed the original request to create a monument for a roundabout into one that is simultaneously a public facility installed on the main urban park of the city, for real enjoyment and ownership of the local community.
RB: The studio's work moves between the fields of art and architecture, blurring the boundaries between these disciplines. How does production in one field feed projects in the other? Can you tell us about this intersection?
DA: Before founding Diogo Aguiar Studio in 2016, I co-founded the LIKEarchitects studio, a practice exclusively dedicated to ephemeral architecture, which operated between 2010 and 2015. Diogo Aguiar Studio draws from past experiences on one hand while simultaneously seeking something distinct. We operate an ambivalent practice that oscillates between the possibilities of art and architecture, hoping that this liquid place is mutually contaminated: that is, that our artistic practice draws from our architectural training and that, at the same time, our architectural practice is influenced by our artistic ambition. In essence, we believe that this dual and alternating approach consistently shapes and propels the projects we undertake involving speculative, spatial, material, and typological research.
At the same time, we assume that architecture, like art, can transcend the everyday. In this sense, we argue that it is possible to establish a conversation, literally speaking, with architectural space and that it is also desirable to learn through it to see and observe the beauty of the world's small circumstances.
In the House Over the Hills project, a single-family house in Paredes (Portugal) built in wood, the abstract volumetric formalization enhances the relationship with the place, revealing frames over the surrounding landscape, configuring exterior spaces in close relationship with the interior and allowing different spaces to receive sunlight differently at different times of the day – kinetic frames of light.
In the Espaço-tempo project, a small refuge without divisions in Alijó (Portugal), each of the interior spatialities was formalized based on its specific and intrinsic relationship with the exterior space and sunlight – they are spatialities of silence that enhance comfort through their relationship with the world outside them.
RB: The group works with both permanent projects and temporary, short-term installations — projects that are also events. What contributions and debates can temporary architecture bring to the city?
DA: The alternation of artistic installations, whether temporary or not, with architectural projects of a more permanent nature encourages the possibility of completing some of the studio's work in a much shorter period than that of conventional architecture, especially because the generally short deadlines for its implementation requires it, also proving to be fundamental for motivating a certain spirit of constant investigation that we like to encourage in our office.
Temporary architecture is not committed to the long term, and, in this sense, it can be a huge field of experimentation that takes advantage of the possibility of trial and error to test new realities or opportunities. Its short duration allows us to explore ideas and materialities that have no place in permanent projects, such as fragility or deterioration. At the same time, by making the city their stage of action, ephemeral installations are, by their genesis, accessible, democratic, and hedonistic. Whether due to the surprise effect, the discomfort, the irony, the unreasonable, or the unusual, these installations often have the potential to speed up the debate on the relevance of the themes they intend to initiate, and, in this sense, they can be powerful political agents or instruments that generate public discussion.
On the other hand, the need for growing ecological awareness in the design of this type of project is evident. As it is obvious that it will be dismantled in the short term, it is mandatory to consider the life cycle of the materials that make it up – what will they be used for at the end of the project? But this is also a relevant issue today in so-called permanent projects because we know that even these tend to have a specific useful life - first they must be designed to adapt to different uses over time and then they must consider strategies of dismantling, avoiding the impact of its demolition/destruction. In this sense, there can be direct and very relevant learning between the design of temporary projects and more permanent projects. Whether in issues relating to the design of its dismantling, as already mentioned, or in the direct impact of logistical issues on its design and planning (saving resources, sizing and weight, transport, etc.)
RB: The studio also explores different scales, from buildings to exhibition projects. What challenges do these different scales present? What is prioritized in each of them?
DA: We like the small scale because it gives us the illusion of absolute control over the architectural project – from the building’s layout to the door handle. In this sense, we believe that there are no small projects and, above all, that there are no smaller projects. At the same time, we embrace larger-scale projects, where, based on a similar work methodology, we equally invest in the development of formal systems whose genesis is based on their spatial, structural, material pertinence and exploration, etc.
The challenges and complexities compared between an ephemeral work of architecture or an exhibition design – such as a temporary museum with 100 m2 such as the Salvador Dali Temporary Museum, in São Paulo / São José dos Campos (Brazil) – and an equipment industrial – a 2,500m2 wine cellar like Espaço Estrutural, in Portimão (Portugal) – are very different in terms of legal bureaucracy, coordination of teams and projects or, of course, technical assistance to the work, but we are interested in much more speak of the similarities in their conception and construction of the architectural space rather than the operational differences between these cases.
Architecture can be larger than its own scale or temporality. We have no shortage of paradigmatic examples of small-scale buildings, temporary or even never built, for the evolution of the discipline itself.
RB: You are the co-founder, together with Andreia Garcia, of Galeria de Arquitectura, in Porto, an independent space for thinking about architecture. Can you tell us more about this project?
DA: Galeria de Arquitectura is a project parallel to our practices as architects and also as university professors of architectural design. It is where we risk an open and more experimental dialogue with the city.
Based in a micro-space of just 6 m2, but with a huge window facing the street, the Architecture Gallery aims to exhibit architecture as an exercise in thinking about the discipline itself and its limits. Taking advantage of its small size and communicating directly and incisively with citizens, the Architecture Gallery is an inclusive project that invites the participation of the specialized public as well as passers-by. In a city that is internationally recognized for its two Pritzker Prize winners, Álvaro Siza Vieira and Eduardo Souto Moura, two fantastic architects, the Architecture Gallery is constituted as an experimental, non-institutionalized stage, which aims to contribute to the creation of a new architectural discourse and, therefore, to attract new audiences, expanding global attention on the various “others” matters surrounding the discipline.
Since 2016, the Galeria de Arquitectura has held more than a dozen exhibitions, with the participation of, for example, Davide Trabucco, Corpo Atelier, MAO, and Traumnovelle, among many others. Acting locally and on its small scale, the project nevertheless intends to have a global reach and international repercussions.
RB: You and Ana Neiva were assistant curators of the Portuguese representation Fertile Futures at the 18th Venice Architecture Biennale, curated by Andreia Garcia. How does curatorial work overlap or interfere with studio practice?
DA: Curation, functioning as a platform for the research and production of transdisciplinary knowledge, can expand the horizons of architectural practice itself.
Aware of the ecological urgency and the environmental crisis, in the Fertile Futures project, we seek to rescue a generation of architects and involve them in the issues of the climate emergency in the search for solutions that allow us to manage the scarcity of freshwater by building dialogues transdisciplinary courses focused on different points in Portuguese territory. At the International Summer Seminar, we convened architecture students from all over the world. Together, we thought about the issues of freshwater management in Fundão, a municipality in the interior of Portugal, raising students' awareness of the themes of ecological urgency and the climate crisis right from the moment of its formation – it is essential that these concerns also have a place in the teaching of architecture so that the future practice of the discipline regains its operational and social relevance.
Engaging in these laboratory experiences provides significant learning opportunities that inevitably influence the practices of all participants. While these are specific interventions, they are enriching and intense, guiding us toward defining the role we aim to assume.
This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: New Practices. Every month we explore a topic in-depth through articles, interviews, news, and projects. Learn more about our ArchDaily topics. As always, at ArchDaily we welcome the contributions of our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, contact us.
