Building City: From Raw Land to Architecture Discovery at Harvard

Harvard University

Graduate School of Design

Architecture Discovery

The years I spent in my birth country after more than 25 years of absence have been the most challenging—and ultimately, the most humbling.

Having previously catered to the privileged European luxury industry, I was thrust into the urgent necessities of a developing country to transform raw land into a functional, livable environment that could provide dignified living conditions for a growing population.

Construyendo Cuidad (Building City)

A foreigner in my own country, I took on an administrative role in an urban design company with a 30-year legacy. This hands-on experience immersed me in the collaborative process of a multidisciplinary team of civil engineers engaged in the design, planning, and execution of an ambitious 40-hectare mixed-use urban development project backed by Portuguese investment.

Although my contribution was modest, I am proud to have participated in a project that positively reshaped the dynamic of my birth city, catalyzing the creation of a new commercial downtown and establishing the area as the epicenter of urban growth.

Building City: From Raw Land to Architecture Discovery at Harvard

2013

Building City: From Raw Land to Architecture Discovery at Harvard

2024

Following the project's delivery, I resolved personal matters and, before resuming my creative practice, enrolled in a sabbatical summer Architecture Discovery program at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design.

This intensive, three-week, studio-based course at Gund Hall focused on developing conceptual, logical, and representational skills to translate ideas into visual and spatial language essential for shaping the built environment.

Intersecting with the Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning programs, I explored advanced design research, architectural drawing, spatial model-making and digital fabrication, reinforcing collaborative processes that span multiple materials and scales across disciplines.

The GSD gave me a profound new understanding of the possibilities within my own design practice.

Building City: From Raw Land to Architecture Discovery at HarvardBuilding City: From Raw Land to Architecture Discovery at HarvardBuilding City: From Raw Land to Architecture Discovery at Harvard
Building City: From Raw Land to Architecture Discovery at HarvardBuilding City: From Raw Land to Architecture Discovery at HarvardBuilding City: From Raw Land to Architecture Discovery at Harvard

At the conclusion of the summer, Sofia Balters, my teacher, encouraged me to apply to Harvard’s Art, Design, and the Public Domain program.

Seeking to expand the scope of my practice, I followed her advice. To my surprise, I was accepted into the two-year program, which opened the doors not only to the GSD, but also to the broader Harvard community, including the Science Center, Business School, Kennedy School of Government, and even the MIT Media Lab.

Building City: From Raw Land to Architecture Discovery at HarvardBuilding City: From Raw Land to Architecture Discovery at HarvardBuilding City: From Raw Land to Architecture Discovery at Harvard
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