Siopa Alves is an architecture studio working from a careful understanding of place, construction, and the way spaces are lived over time.
Founded by architect João Siopa Alves, the practice operates across renovation, new build, housing, tourism and public space, developing projects of different scales and programs. Architecture is approached as a grounded discipline, where each decision emerges from a continuous process of analysis, design, and construction — always rooted in the physical and cultural reality of each site.
Based in Alcobaça, the studio works throughout Portugal’s West Coast — the Silver Coast — engaging with a territory undergoing significant transformation, driven by increasing international demand and new investment dynamics, particularly in housing and tourism. In parallel, the studio maintains an active presence in Lisbon, allowing for a broader national and occasional international practice.
Rather than imposing a formal language, each project evolves from its specific conditions — site, context, program, and client. This process results in clear, restrained and enduring solutions, both in renovation contexts and new constructions.
The work is guided by a quiet and precise approach to architecture, where materiality, proportion and detail are carefully considered. The aim is to create timeless spaces — not through excess, but through clarity and control — designed to be lived naturally over time.
Recent work has been recognised through several competition wins, developed in collaboration with architects and multidisciplinary teams, including the urban regeneration of the historic centre of Alcobaça (2024), the rehabilitation of the Academy of Sciences warehouse in Lisbon (2023), a housing project in Almada (2022), and an international competition for a Cultural Centre at the Chartreuse de Neuville (2020).
João Siopa Alves
Alcobaça, 1992
is an architect and founder of Siopa Alves.
He studied at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Lisbon, where he completed his Master’s degree in 2017 with top distinction. His final project, The Metamorphic House, received an Honourable Mention at Archiprix 2018 and was selected for the Young Talent Architecture Awards.
During his studies, he interned in Amsterdam at DUS Architects, contributing to the 3D Print Canal House, an experimental research project exploring full-scale 3D printed architecture.
He later collaborated with leading Portuguese practices such as ARX Portugal and Aires Mateus, gaining experience across different scales and typologies.
His work focuses on architecture, with particular attention to renovation and interventions in historical contexts, seeking a balance between continuity and transformation. He remains closely involved in all project phases — from concept to construction — ensuring a direct connection between design and built reality.
