Original Publication: Spend In

JOÃO VIEIRA

Text by MARINA OLIVEIRA

“Curiosity is the lifeblood of an architect.” This phrase, which defines João Vieira, encapsulates the essence of STUDIO JV, a Portuguese-Brazilian architecture and design firm founded in 2021. Based in Lisbon and with a presence in Recife, the studio has over 80 projects under development and an international team of 60 professionals. Each project is born from a concept, and each concept from a question.

João Vieira, arquiteto fundador do Studio JV

Graduate in Architecture from the Lusíada University of Porto, João Vieira has built a career marked by diverse contexts and a constant search for new languages. He has lived and worked in cities such as New York, Copenhagen, Oslo, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Berlin, São Paulo, and Lisbon. He was a professor at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, co-founder of the AO (in São Paulo) and AOLX (in Portugal) studios, before creating his own structure. “One of the great milestones of my career was having the opportunity to work with some of the most important architects on the world stage, in addition to being a professor at AHO, the Faculty of Architecture in Oslo, at the age of 27,” he recalls.

STUDIO JV currently brings together more than 60 professionals of various nationalities and develops more than 80 projects simultaneously in Portugal and Brazil. Recent projects in their portfolio include the Tomás Ribeiro 90 building in Lisbon, Lumare in Vilamoura, Vistta in Leiria, and the Moon Hotel in Almada—examples of a practice that combines design and a sense of place.

What distinguishes STUDIO JV’s work is how each project starts from a narrative concept, seeking to translate the client’s identity and the space’s vocation into a dialogue between proportion, light, and materiality. Architecture emerges as an emotional and technical response, where constructive detail, formal coherence, and the intentional use of materials go hand in hand.

Originally from Porto, João Vieira recalls a childhood marked by a desire to build. “It sounds cliché, but as a child my only toys were Legos. Later, at 16, I started working in a family member’s architectural model-making company, and that combination ended up dictating my professional future.” His time at the Porto School of Fine Arts also fueled his interest in culture and artistic experimentation, which is reflected in the environments he creates today.

When asked about the values ​​he inherited from his family, the architect is clear: “Countless, impossible to list. But, above all, discipline and commitment, work and creativity.” These principles are reflected in the way he approaches his profession and leads his team: with high standards, closeness, and active listening.

O Moon Hotel é inspirado nos princípios da permacultura e nas qualidades da paisagem da Quinta das Amoreiras, na área Metropolitana de Lisboa

O Lumare, atualmente em obra, explora a luz e o mar do Algarve

O Vistta conta com cinco residências adaptadas a um terreno com inclinação de 34%

Between Lisbon and Recife, STUDIO JV consolidates an architectural practice that combines curiosity, rigor, and sustainability.

Sustainability is another central principle in STUDIO JV’s work, not as a trend, but as a conviction. The firm seeks the intelligent use of materials and an approach that values ​​energy efficiency, integration into the urban or natural context, and decarbonization. Technical decisions are thus guided by an ethical vision of the future of cities and respect for the natural and urban environment.

According to João Vieira, curiosity and continuous learning are essential drivers of his work. “I learned a lot from those around me and I continue to learn every day from my team,” he states, emphasizing the importance of dialogue and knowledge sharing.

Regarding the future, he prefers to maintain the creative uncertainty that has always guided him: “I don’t know for sure. But I want to continue being involved in remarkable projects that spark curiosity and demand my total commitment.” Between Lisbon and Recife, STUDIO JV continues to build bridges between cultures and ways of thinking about space, with curiosity as its method and driving force.