SOFIA ALEIXO
University of ÉvoraBorn in Lisbon, Portugal (1967). Graduated in Architecture by the Faculty of Architecture – Technical University of Lisbon (1991). Attended the curricular units of the Tercer Ciclo em Teoría y Prática de la Rehabilitación Arquitectónica y Urbana from Sevilla University (Spain) (2003-2004). Aproved in Pedagogical and Scientific Capacity Proofs in Architecture, at Évora University (2007). Doctor of Philosophy in Architectural Conservation (Cultural Heritage Values) with the thesis "Cultural Values change in the Rehabilitation of Historic Schools in Portugal", under the supervision of Dr. Nicholas Walliman and Dr. Aylin Orbasli, by the School of Architecture, Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment, Oxford Brookes University (Oxford - UK, 2016). PhD scholarship from the Science and Technology Foundation (FCT) between 2009 and 2013.
Since 1991, Sofia has been working with Architect Victor Mestre. Sofia Aleixo is founder partner at Victor Mestre | Sofia Aleixo, Arquitectos, an architectural practice based in Lisbon, Portugal. The practice has been involved in both research and architectural design, in Europe, Africa, and Asia. The firm provides a comprehensive range of consultancy services for historic buildings and conservation projects. Designing a wide range of projects, private and public, including interventions in listed buildings and sites, the firm has focused on heritage conservation and adaptive reuse, developing research regarding the vernacular architecture in countries of Portuguese influence and on the cultural values of 20th century-built heritage.
Has Projects and buildings published in several dedicated publications, national and international. The office work in the conservation of cultural heritage has been selected to be included in special publications and to represent Portuguese architecture. Her architectural and research work at vmsa architects has been presented in several international conferences and symposia in Portugal, Spain, Germany, England, Slovenia, India, Mexico and Brazil. The office work has participated in collective exhibitions. The office work in the conservation of cultural heritage has also been awarded. In 2013 our work in the Lyceum Passos Manuel (Lisbon, Portugal) the first purposely designed and built secondary school in Portugal, wan Europe's most prestigious prize in the heritage field given to the most outstanding achievements in Conservation Category of the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards, which recognizes the excellence and dedication by architects and cultural heritage experts. (Europa Nostra Awards have the support of the Creative Europe programme of the European Union).
She started teaching in Higher Education in 1996 at IADE (Marketing, Design and Visual Arts Institute) till 2000, teaching the subjects of Material Technology (2nd Year) and CAD (4th Year). Was invited to conceive and coordinate the CAD Department from 1988 to 2000, where she subsequently conceived and taught CAD courses. Sofia Aleixo currently works at Évora University - Arts School, Architecture Department in Portugal, teaching Design studio units since 2002 in the Integrated Master's in Architecture. Here, she supervises dissertations, having been awarded under the IHRU - Dissertations 2018 and Archiprix 2018 Prize. Appointed by the Department of Architecture to represent the University of Évora at the 15th Secil Universidades - Arquitectura Prize (2019).
She taught at the School of Architecture, Oxford Brookes University, at the MA in International Architectural Regeneration and Development (in 2012), where she undertook her PhD. Her research interest in architectural heritage started by the end of the 1980's and since then she has been working in practice and researching the topic, trying to understand more about historic buildings and their significance for today's life. The process of remembering has always been a motive for conservation and a concern for vmsa architects, as we believe that memories play a significant role in people's identity and therefore, in conservation management. In the Research field, she has been working on bibliographical researches oriented to safeguard and enhance cultural heritage, project methods, and construction. Methods of Project and of its Construction Site Implement" at the University of Évora, July 2006 / January 2007. Nowadays her research is centered on the Historical Lyceums of Continental Portugal, their original projects, and the methods of intervention in restoration and the implementation of the School-Park Remodeling Program. As elected themes she chooses professional practice, intervention ethics, and the project-finished work relationship, from conception to building, from technologies to architectonic object. For this largely contributes the Technical Assistance performed by the Construction Site of Projects developed at the Studio, from all over Portugal.
More recently (since 2017) she became an Integrated Researcher at CHAM-SLHI/FCSH/UNova, responsible for the area of Architecture in the RIC - Ideas and Culture Magazines Project (http://ric.slhi.pt/), with the public launch of the first architecture magazine "A Construcção Moderna" (2019). Collaborating researcher at the University of Évora at CHAIA and at the IHC-CEHFCi hub.
