José Guimarães is a young architect who founded his architecture studio, José Studio, last year. After several years living abroad, the architect returned to live in Lisbon. A recent rehabilitation project in the Campo de Ourique neighbourhood, in the centre of the capital, pushed him into the spotlight. But his path already includes other happy stories in this kind of mission of transforming the old into the new. “To rehabilitate is to promise a new happiness to a space that seemed like nothing,” explains José Guimarães.
Architecture is seen as a very intimate dialogue: “For me, it’s like making a tailored suit: there is a client with an idea of happiness, and I like to design that dream, to give it form. They imagine life in the house; I imagine the space.”
Among many other topics, this conversation with idealista/news brings up a question that is so often postponed: why do so many architects dream of designing a church?
Casa Ajuda
José Guimarães
What led you to architecture?
Basically, it was the normal path of a kid with some talent for drawing, who didn’t want to take the risk of going into fine arts or painting. Interestingly, I could have followed that path — I had an uncle who was a painter and quite successful — but I ended up being more conservative.
Was the house where you live designed by you?
Yes, it was redesigned. It is a rehabilitation project that ended up gaining some visibility and even won a few awards.
Campo de Ourique
José Guimarães
Besides this house, what were the first or most significant projects?
I’ve worked a lot in rehabilitation. I started a long time ago — the first house I did was for a friend, when I was still writing my thesis at the Faculty of Architecture. After that came small rehabilitation projects, mainly for friends and family. In the meantime, I went to live and work in London. Even while I was there, people kept asking for projects and I did them in parallel with my work at the studio where I was employed. After five years in London, I decided to return. I worked at a studio that was very important for me, 31 Estúdio, and after that I started working independently, with my own studio, José Estúdio. I already have some projects completed and others under construction, all very closely linked to rehabilitation.
What is the most challenging, or most interesting, part of working in rehabilitation?
I especially like rehabilitating houses and apartments, because there is always a sense of challenge: taking a space that seems unpromising and transforming it. There are always hidden potentials. Rehabilitation allows you to extract the best from a degraded or aged space and give it a new life. It’s almost like promising a certain happiness to something that seemed like “nothing”.
Banzão
José Guimarães
You mentioned earlier your relationship with the city, from London to Lisbon, and the theme of rehabilitation in contexts where it is still economically viable. Is this a central issue?
Without a doubt. Lisbon has become very difficult — both to buy a house and to carry out construction work. I am very interested in working on projects with greater freedom, and I’ve been lucky enough to find some like that: warehouses with high ceilings, outdoor spaces with room, family homes with land where children can play. I like to escape the typical urban model — the 2.6-metre ceiling height, the narrow corridor — and free myself from those limits.
And sustainability, which is now so present in architectural discourse — how does it fit into your work?
Sustainability is fundamental in rehabilitation. By rehabilitating, we avoid demolition and make use of what already exists — stone walls, brick, the roof. We give new life to materials and, in doing so, reduce waste. Of course, this is then complemented by a careful choice of materials and construction solutions.
Casa Ajuda
José Guimarães
Architecture, in everyday life, has to respond to functions: the kitchen has to work, the bathroom has to be practical, everything has a utilitarian purpose. In a church, there is total freedom: it’s about designing a spirituality, an idea. And that, of course, is fascinating for any architect.
Now that you are starting this new solo phase, what would you like to achieve in the coming years?
At the moment, I’m very enthusiastic about what I’m doing. I don’t think too much about the future yet. I like designing houses and rehabilitation projects, working directly with people. For me, it’s like making a tailored suit: there is a client with an idea of happiness, and I like to design that dream, to give it form. They imagine life in the house; I imagine the space.
But are there dream programmes, those “fetish” projects that any architect would like to do?
Of course. I think all architects have a fetish programme — designing a church, for example. I’m less curious about doing large, standardised things and more interested in creating something more personal, made to measure.
Why is a church the fetish programme for so many architects?
Because it completely frees you from practical obligations. In everyday architecture, everything has to serve a function: the kitchen has to work, the bathroom has to be practical, everything has a utilitarian purpose. In a church, there is total freedom — it’s about designing a spirituality, an idea. And that, of course, is fascinating for any architect.