描述
Architect João Mendes Ribeiro’s practice follows from his university teachings to his presence in national and international exhibitions, including multiple appearances at the Venice Biennale. Besides projects, renovations, and set and object design, Ribeiro’s work is recognised for its great precision and deep respect for both the preservation of historical and cultural heritage and the establishment of new realities. Ten projects were selected to represent his work in this issue, covering different contexts, scales, kinds, and applications. These include the Centre for Visual Arts in Coimbra, the Torre de Palma Wine Hotel in the Alentejo region, and the Roman Baths in São Pedro do Sul.
It is in the delicate relationship between the minutiae of detail and the wholeness of the project that Mendes Ribeiro’s architecture must be understood. He is certainly one of the architects whose work is expressed above all by a know-how, one that is close to craftsmanship, where, in addition to the design, the texture of each material is important, be it wood and its various joints and fittings, metal, stone and how they articulate with one another, or even fabrics (in the numerous stagings he has created).
Architectural works that, also for this reason, integrate so well and complement the past of a heritage that has always been the result of painstaking and inevitably slow manual labour.
That is why these creations can only be appreciated slowly and attentively.
