Site Specific Arquitectura, is a Lisbon based architecture practice formally established in 2011, and since then develops different scale projects in a wide range of programs, from new construction to renovations or interior refurbishments.
The office searches for the individuality and character of each project, embracing as one the requests of the program, the specificity of the context and location, the constraints and values of heritage, and the discipline of construction, budget and sustainability.
With solid partnerships with engineers, landscape architects or designers the office assure in all stages of each project, a wide, plural and coordinated vision combining diverse fields of knowledge and experience to develop integrated and sustainable design solutions.
We recognize the power of architecture, as a life-changing experience as well as an economic value.
The practice’s work has been recognised through awards and distinctions, as well as through publication in architecture journals and publications, both nationally and internationally.
Patrícia Marques
Born in Lisbon in 1975, Patrícia Marques holds a degree in Architecture from the Faculty of Architecture of the Technical University of Lisbon (1999) and a Master’s degree in Curatorial Studies, with a dissertation entitled Architecture on Display, from the Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon (2009). During her academic studies, she was an Erasmus scholarship holder at the École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture de Paris La Villette (1998) and, in 1997, received the Jov’Arte Architecture Prize, awarded by the Municipality of Loures.
She began her professional career in 1999 at the Dutch office De Zwarte Hond, in Rotterdam, and the following year joined the Aires Mateus e Associados practice in Lisbon, where she worked for a decade, subsequently assuming the role of studio coordinator.
In 2011, together with architect J. Paulo Costa, she founded the practice site specific – arquitectura, lda., guided by a transversal approach to architectural practice and by an ethos based on collaboration and interdisciplinary exchange.
Between 2012 and 2013, Patrícia Marques was responsible for coordinating the Lisboa Open House programme, organised by the Lisbon Architecture Triennale, reinforcing a professional practice particularly attentive to the relationships between architecture, the city and culture.
The practice’s work has received recognition through various national and international awards and nominations. Among the projects developed, the S. Paulo Library in Loures stands out, awarded the FAD Interiors Prize in 2015, as well as the Casa de São Lourenço – Burel Panorama Hotel 5*, in Serra da Estrela, selected as a finalist for the FAD Architecture Prize in 2019, together with the participation in the Portuguese National Representation at the BINA Belgrade Architecture Biennial, Lisbon Acts, in 2018.
In 2020, Patrícia Marques joined PLCO Arquitectos and Ventura Trindade Arquitectos in establishing the VASSCO, ACE Complementary Business Association, dedicated to the development of architectural projects across different programmes and scales. Current projects include an affordable housing development in Lisbon for the Urban Rehabilitation Society (SRU), the Gaia Museum Ambiente for the Municipality of Vila Nova de Gaia, and the rehabilitation and extension of the Bibliothèque de Genève for the Ville de Genève.
Between January 2023 and August 2024, Patrícia Marques coordinated the working group responsible for the concentration of State services, including government offices, in the former headquarters of Caixa Geral de Depósitos, now the CAMPUS XXI building, under the authority of the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
In 2026, she received an Honourable Mention at the Ruy d’Athouguia Regional Architecture Awards for the project for the D. Henrique Primary School and Kindergarten; and an Honourable Mention at the Acesso Cultura Michaella Dantas Prize, together with P06 Studio and MãoSiMão, for the project for the National Museum of Music in Mafra.
- J. Paulo CostaBorn in Lisbon in 1973, J. Paulo Costa began his architectural training at AR.CO – Centro de Arte e Comunicação Visual, where he attended the Architecture Drawing I and II courses between 1993 and 1994, subsequently obtaining a degree in Architecture from the Faculty of Architecture of the Technical University of Lisbon (1998).
In 1999, he undertook an academic internship at Kees Christiaanse Architects and Planners in Rotterdam, and between 1999 and 2000 collaborated with OMA – Office for Metropolitan Architecture, also in Rotterdam. In 2000, in Lisbon, he participated in the development of the proposal for the University of Évora competition, in collaboration with Inês Lobo, Pedro Domingos, Ricardo Bak Gordon and Carlos Vilela.
That same year, he began collaborating with the practice of João Luís Carrilho da Graça in Lisbon, where he remained until 2012, working as a project coordinator and overseeing the development of various architectural projects.
In 2011, he began a PhD in Architecture, specialising in Interior – New Territories, at the University of Évora, and joined the practice site specific – arquitectura, lda., founded in partnership with Patrícia Marques.
Since then, his practice has developed within a transversal approach to architecture, through projects encompassing different programmes and scales, from housing and religious spaces to hospitality, museology and educational facilities. Among the projects developed, the S. Paulo Library in Loures stands out, awarded the FAD Interiors Prize in 2015, as well as the Casa de São Lourenço – Burel Panorama Hotel 5*, in Serra da Estrela, selected as a finalist for the FAD Architecture Prize in 2019, together with the participation in the Portuguese National Representation at the BINA Belgrade Architecture Biennial, Lisbon Acts, in 2018.
In 2020, he participated in the establishment of the VASSCO, ACE Complementary Business Association, together with PLCO Arquitectos and Ventura Trindade Arquitectos, extending interdisciplinary collaboration to a structure dedicated to the development of architectural projects of different natures. Current projects include an affordable housing development in Lisbon for the Urban Rehabilitation Society (SRU), the Gaia Museum Ambiente for the Municipality of Vila Nova de Gaia, and the rehabilitation and extension of the Bibliothèque de Genève for the Ville de Genève.
In 2026, he received an Honourable Mention at the Ruy d’Athouguia Regional Architecture Awards for the project for the D. Henrique Primary School and Kindergarten; and an Honourable Mention at the Acesso Cultura Michaella Dantas Prize, together with P06 Studio and MãoSiMão, for the project for the National Museum of Music in Mafra.