Alexandre Alves Costa

Alexandre Alves Costa was born in Porto, on February 2, 1939. After attending the Architecture course at ESBAP [School of Fine Arts of Porto], he went to LNEC [National Laboratory of Civil Engineering] to intern with Nuno Portas. He returned to his hometown and in 1966 obtained the degree in Architecture. His intense activity covers multiple fields of action: from the 70s onwards, as an independent architect, he developed a path marked by the creation of Atelier 15 in partnership with Sergio Fernandez; as a professor of Design and, in particular, of History of Portuguese Architecture, he became a reference figure for many generations of young architects who had been his students. A born communicator, he also stands out as an author and disseminator, with an extensive number of published titles and participation in multiple initiatives of a public nature, whether in the field of architecture or of a civic and political nature. He played important roles at different times in his life: he was responsible for the area of Planning and Project Support in the SAAL/Norte Coordinating Committee, he worked his influence at the University of Porto for the creation of FAUP [Faculty of Architecture] (1779), as he did later at the University of Coimbra and at the University of Minho. Among the awards he has won over the years, the Grand Prize of the International Association of Art Critics / Ministry of Culture 2008 (AICA / MC 2008 Prize) stands out: this prize was received in conjunction with Sérgio Fernandez for the quality and the modern work developed by both architects. The rigor of his interventions, with particular attention to issues related to rehabilitation of heritage, will also be evident in several other projects, such as the Restoration and Heritage Valuation of the Village of Idanha-a-Velha and the restoration of the Convent of Santa Clara-a-Velha, of the Afurada Heritage Interpretive Center and, more recently, the rehabilitation of the José Marques da Silva House-Atelier, the Alexandre Herculano Lyceum and the Batalha Cinema, in Porto.