Nuno Portas

Nuno Portas was born in 1934 in Vila Viçosa and graduated in Architecture from the Technical University of Lisbon in 1959. In recent years, he has combined research and teaching in the postgraduate course in Urban Planning at the Technical University of Lisbon (areas related to Urban Issues, Planning Methods and History of Urban Planning Theory) with professional practice in various cities in Europe, Africa and South America, as a consultant for programs funded by the United Nations. In Portugal, he participated in the governments following the 25th of April Revolution, contributing to the definition of policy guidelines for housing, urban rehabilitation and updating legislation on urban planning.
Throughout his career, Nuno Portas was responsible for urban planning projects in several neighborhoods on the outskirts of Lisbon, as well as in various Brazilian cities. His most notable projects include the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (a joint project with Nuno Teotónio Pereira) – which won the Valmor Prize in 1975 – and the University of Aveiro Campus. In 2005, he was awarded the Sir Patrick Abercrombie Prize for Urban Planning, one of five prizes awarded by the International Union of Architects.