Photography: courtesy ATELIER DATA
19 / 01 / 2022
What started out as a "challenge between friends, aiming to bring together different origins, essences and prisms under the umbrella of a common educational background (architecture)", led to the creation of Atelier Data. Now, 15 years later, Marta Frazão, Filipe Rodrigues and Inês Vicente believe that the success of this collective, consisting of a vast team of partners and collaborators, is based on the"contradictions, divergences and diversity in thinking" that the trio applies to solving architectural problems.
Patrícia Ramos: Among those projects of yours that haven't (yet) come to fruition, which would you actually like to see built? And why? Atelier Data: There is one project in particular, called "Forwarding Dallas", that we would have liked to have seen go ahead. Within the scope of an international competition, it consisted of developing the first sustainable city block in the world, the prototype of which was to be implemented in Dallas, Texas. The level of exigency and ambition associated with the themes of sustainability that combined matters of energy efficiency, food autonomy, sharing of services and the quality of life for people in cities, required in-depth and multidisciplinary research which we found motivating and engaging. Over ten years later, it continues to be a project of great interest and relevance given the multidimensional challenges we currently face.
PR: What prompts you to participate in various competitions for ideas with conceptual approaches? AD: Such competitions often generate the conditions to explore and investigate certain themes that might not otherwise find space or the context for their development. They represent critical moments in the life of our studio that bring together an extraordinary freedom with the need to make choices, choose a direction and build a path forward in a relatively short time span.
PR: Until now, which project do you consider to be the most characteristic of your architectural philosophy? AD: We are averse to one-dimensional visions of architecture. We don't really have a philosophy, a discourse or a unified mind-set. However, what we have realised through our practice over the years is that there are concerns and ambitions that intersect and permeate most of our projects. These concerns are invariably related to the landscape, with approaches to integration and the contexts in which the building is embedded, with the relationships that can be built between indoors and outdoors and that imply a certain notion of “Mediterraneanity”. The courtyards, porches, roof terraces, walls and front yards are just some of the formal resources that are involved in the possibilities.
PR: What prompts you to participate in various competitions for ideas with conceptual approaches? AD: Such competitions often generate the conditions to explore and investigate certain themes that might not otherwise find space or the context for their development. They represent critical moments in the life of our studio that bring together an extraordinary freedom with the need to make choices, choose a direction and build a path forward in a relatively short time span.
PR: Until now, which project do you consider to be the most characteristic of your architectural philosophy? AD: We are averse to one-dimensional visions of architecture. We don't really have a philosophy, a discourse or a unified mind-set. However, what we have realised through our practice over the years is that there are concerns and ambitions that intersect and permeate most of our projects. These concerns are invariably related to the landscape, with approaches to integration and the contexts in which the building is embedded, with the relationships that can be built between indoors and outdoors and that imply a certain notion of “Mediterraneanity”. The courtyards, porches, roof terraces, walls and front yards are just some of the formal resources that are involved in the possibilities.
Casa Mãe, Alcácer do Sal © Richard John Seymour
Casa Cabrita Moleiro, Lagoa © Richard John Seymour
Atelier Data, Lisboa © Richard John Seymour
Sede de Escritórios, Lisboa © Fernando Guerra
Edifício Rua dos Fanqueiros, Lisboa © Fernando Guerra
Casa no Cercal, Alentejo © John Seymour
PR: What are your great icons in Portuguese architecture? And international ones? AD: We accompany the work of leading figures in Portuguese architecture, that is, the great pioneering masters and producers of modernity in the country, but we also aware of new collectives, whose diverse approaches are very stimulating and enriching.
On an international level, we would highlight, among so many others, our current interest in the architecture developed by a new wave of architects in countries such as Mexico, Chile and Peru.
On an international level, we would highlight, among so many others, our current interest in the architecture developed by a new wave of architects in countries such as Mexico, Chile and Peru.
Casa no Cercal, Alentejo © John Seymour
Casa no Montoito, Lourinhã © 3D Martim Gamelas
Casa Praia Grande, Sintra © 3D Martim Gamelas
Moradia Belas, Sintra © 3D Martim Gamelas
Casa Vale Covo, Bombarral © 3D Martim Gamelas
For more information, visit atelier DATA website.