|
(soon)
Вакансия
Sergio Rebelo
Porto,
Portugal
Portugal
Prior to opening his own practice in Porto in 2018, he worked as a design director in the New York office of FR-EE Fernando Romero. Today, his designs are published by leading architectural publications, and the Quinta de Adorigo winery in the Douro Valley has become one of the most discussed buildings in recent years in Portugal and has been noted by ArchDaily and Dezeen.
Sergio Rebelo is the founder of the Portuguese bureau ASR (Atelier Sergio Rebelo).
What is your approach to architecture?
Architecture has become for me a place where the rational and the emotional meet. On the one hand, it is a discipline based on precise knowledge, engineering and science. On the other hand, it is impossible without intuition, sensitivity and emotions. That’s why I try to look at architecture not only through the eyes of an architect. It seems to me that a profession becomes much more interesting when you understand it as part of broader processes taking place in society
.
If you look at history, architecture changes when the world changes. The Renaissance is a good example. The development of book printing, new knowledge about the human body, the emergence of perspective, and changes in painting and sculpture all influenced architecture. At that time, it did not exist separately from other arts. Architecture, painting, and sculpture were all part of a single cultural process.
The situation is similar today. Our work is influenced by technology, ecology, economics, and social processes. Therefore, it is important for an architect to go beyond his own discipline and learn from representatives of other professions.
Architecture has become for me a place where the rational and the emotional meet. On the one hand, it is a discipline based on precise knowledge, engineering and science. On the other hand, it is impossible without intuition, sensitivity and emotions. That’s why I try to look at architecture not only through the eyes of an architect. It seems to me that a profession becomes much more interesting when you understand it as part of broader processes taking place in society
.
If you look at history, architecture changes when the world changes. The Renaissance is a good example. The development of book printing, new knowledge about the human body, the emergence of perspective, and changes in painting and sculpture all influenced architecture. At that time, it did not exist separately from other arts. Architecture, painting, and sculpture were all part of a single cultural process.
The situation is similar today. Our work is influenced by technology, ecology, economics, and social processes. Therefore, it is important for an architect to go beyond his own discipline and learn from representatives of other professions.
What is the most difficult part of your job?
Architecture can only look romantic from the outside. In practice, this is an endless series of approvals, restrictions, changes and compromises. After the idea appears, work begins with customers, contractors, government agencies, and engineers. Sometimes a project takes years to complete, and then it never comes to fruition. But I try to take every problem as an opportunity to improve the project.
Has your bureau developed its own architectural language?
Every new project starts from scratch for me. Before opening my own office, I had been involved in international competitions for many years. We created dozens of projects, most of which were never built. But each of them became a study and a source of new experience. That’s why today I still treat every project as my first one. It seems to me that this is what allows you to keep an interest in the profession and not turn it into a routine.
There are many wineries in your portfolio. Did it happen by accident, or was that your goal?
The story began in 2019, when ASR won a competition for a winery and hotel project. The first completed facility attracted the attention of the professional community and customers, after which new projects appeared.
We strive to make each winery unique. From a technical point of view, this is an industrial facility. Grapes come in, ready-made wine comes out. But a modern winery performs a much more complex function. It tells the history of the region, demonstrates the culture of production and becomes a tool for the development of the territory.
After the famous "Bilbao effect" cities began investing in museums as catalysts for development. Wineries are increasingly playing a similar role in Portugal today. They attract tourists, shape the image of the place and help to tell about the local identity.
Architecture can only look romantic from the outside. In practice, this is an endless series of approvals, restrictions, changes and compromises. After the idea appears, work begins with customers, contractors, government agencies, and engineers. Sometimes a project takes years to complete, and then it never comes to fruition. But I try to take every problem as an opportunity to improve the project.
Has your bureau developed its own architectural language?
Every new project starts from scratch for me. Before opening my own office, I had been involved in international competitions for many years. We created dozens of projects, most of which were never built. But each of them became a study and a source of new experience. That’s why today I still treat every project as my first one. It seems to me that this is what allows you to keep an interest in the profession and not turn it into a routine.
There are many wineries in your portfolio. Did it happen by accident, or was that your goal?
The story began in 2019, when ASR won a competition for a winery and hotel project. The first completed facility attracted the attention of the professional community and customers, after which new projects appeared.
We strive to make each winery unique. From a technical point of view, this is an industrial facility. Grapes come in, ready-made wine comes out. But a modern winery performs a much more complex function. It tells the history of the region, demonstrates the culture of production and becomes a tool for the development of the territory.
After the famous "Bilbao effect" cities began investing in museums as catalysts for development. Wineries are increasingly playing a similar role in Portugal today. They attract tourists, shape the image of the place and help to tell about the local identity.
What is the purpose of your work as an architect?
Create places that help people feel connected to each other and the world around them. In this sense, architecture is a way to make the imaginary part of reality — to create human emotions through space.
Create places that help people feel connected to each other and the world around them. In this sense, architecture is a way to make the imaginary part of reality — to create human emotions through space.
What challenges are architecture facing now?
Most of the buildings survive their authors. Therefore, any architectural decision affects not only the present, but also the future. It seems to me that today we are at the moment of a serious revision of the profession. We still think in terms of modernism in many ways. But the architects of the mid-20th century solved completely different tasks. Then it was necessary to build quickly, provide the growing population with housing and infrastructure.
Today, the challenges have changed. We know that the planet’s resources are limited. We understand the consequences of endless consumption. Therefore, the architecture of the future cannot be reduced to the construction of new facilities.
I am increasingly thinking that architecture should be engaged in restoration: restoration of natural systems, biodiversity, existing territories and buildings. It’s not enough to just consume fewer resources. It is necessary to learn how to return resources to nature. It requires a new way of thinking. And, perhaps, architects will have to give up many professional habits that seemed natural until now.
Most of the buildings survive their authors. Therefore, any architectural decision affects not only the present, but also the future. It seems to me that today we are at the moment of a serious revision of the profession. We still think in terms of modernism in many ways. But the architects of the mid-20th century solved completely different tasks. Then it was necessary to build quickly, provide the growing population with housing and infrastructure.
Today, the challenges have changed. We know that the planet’s resources are limited. We understand the consequences of endless consumption. Therefore, the architecture of the future cannot be reduced to the construction of new facilities.
I am increasingly thinking that architecture should be engaged in restoration: restoration of natural systems, biodiversity, existing territories and buildings. It’s not enough to just consume fewer resources. It is necessary to learn how to return resources to nature. It requires a new way of thinking. And, perhaps, architects will have to give up many professional habits that seemed natural until now.
QTª DE SÃO GIÃO
KERNEL FARMS
QUINTA DE ADORIGO WINERY
QUINTA DE ADORIGO HOTEL
→
MATERIA is an agency that provides multidisciplinary support and design management for special projects to be implemented in Moscow. We regularly update our projects for you to join, share research results and track changing standards in the field. Subscribe to our digest to find out more.
123242, 13 Milyutinsky Lane, building 1, Moscow
→
→
→
E-MAIL
Socials
© Materia
→
