MÁRIO MARTINS

Mário Martins is from Lagos, Portugal.
He graduated with a degree in architecture in 1988, from the Faculty of Architecture of Universidade Técnica de Lisboa.
After working for a short time in architectural practices in Lisbon, he decided to return to Lagos to follow a career dedicated exclusively to architecture, with an outstanding team of colleagues. As architecture is, of course, teamwork.
With the head office of Mário Martins Atelier (www.mariomartins.com) staying in Lagos, he opened an office in Lisbon in 2019.

Established for more than 30 years, the company has a vast and enormously varied portfolio of completed projects for family houses and collective housing, public and private buildings, built from the very start or the renovation of existing buildings.
Over the years his work has become increasingly widely recognized and has received several national and international awards.
His work has appeared in many exhibitions, conferences and audiovisual and
written publications including four books, the last of which (Duo - Mário Martins).
He is currently a delegate to the Assembly of Delegates in the Portuguese Architectural College (“Ordem dos Arquitetos”).
He is driven by the desire for quality in architecture and the importance of the architect in today’s world.
Living intensely in the present, he focuses on the future but with deep respect for the past.

The knowledge and doubt together bring about creativity.




EXCERPTS FROM SEVERAL INTERVIEWS GIVEN BY MÁRIO MARTINS


Architecture should encompass, apart from creativity, a capacity for interpretation and respect for the society, culture and environment of each region.

- Architecture comes from ideas. Drawing is an architect’s writing, and it also stimulates the imagination...
I read for pleasure, to learn more and to think better, but I still prefer drawing as a means of expression, of ideas, emotions, as a sign of creative freedom ... But, increasingly, a strong technical component is crucial to the realisation and quality of a project...

- A project involves a large and diverse technical team, although the client has a key role in the final quality of a project. Because of this, we try to have the client actively involved in the process.
We ensure we always have a close working relationship with our clients.
Good projects are usually associated with good clients.

- I always have doubts and dissatisfactions, which lead me to pose questions and to seek new and better solutions. This becomes an incessant process of synthesis and improvement. It is the quest for a certain absolute purity I know is unattainable, but still cannot stop searching for.
Paradoxically, it is this illusion that fascinates me: looking for something I know I'll never find. However, this search leads to a design that is corrected and improved with humility and willingness, qualities essential to anyone who wishes to learn.

- The ability to synthesise is critical. I believe the maturity of an architect is close to that of a growing refinement in forms and processes ... I increasingly avoid mere formal design and look for experiences and sensations. From these come forms...

- I have no firm beliefs or prejudices. I have no preference for any stereotypes or architectural styles ... I like architecture.

- We mainly work in a region with restrictions, but with clients from different backgrounds and cultures. With a contemporary approach, my intention is to transport the character and values of a region to the different tastes and lifestyles of each client, in a modern context.
I think architects have the duty to preserve culture and tradition, but also to improve our cultural space.

- I aim to create better homes and to make people happier ... If I can do this, even if not all the time, being an architect is worthwhile.

- I work with enormous dedication and pleasure. This is not something that was imposed on me. It came naturally. And from architecture; I have everything to receive and learn.