PIMAA was founded in 2007 by José Pires Marques and Gonçalo Pires Marques, joining two generations and two different journeys.
The company develops projects of all scales, from small coffee shops to Masterplans, from Urban Refurbishments to Sports Pavilions, ranging in all the areas of Design, Architecture and Urbanism, Project Management and Real Estate Consulting.
For their work they have been awarded several times, some examples like the Valmor Prize and the SIl Urban Rehabilitation Award.
Their aim is to move seamlessly across borders and scales, adapting to each cultural and social value embedded in each site, Facing each program with the goal of developing and improving and never repeating.
Always in search of the "new".
José Eduardo Pires Marques
Studied architecture in Lisbon School of Fine Arts – ESBAL and graduated in 1969. After finishing his studies he started working as an Urbanist in City Councils such as Mafra, Palmela, Lourinhã and finally Lisbon. José was part of the European pioneer architects and legislators group that first created the rules on Accessibility for the Disabled, founding an Intervention Unit of Architecture for the Handicapped in Lisbon’s City Council in 1982 – NIPRED. In 1988 he was awarded for the Valmor Prize and Lisbon Municipal Prize. The European Commission invited him in 1989 to be a member of the International Juri at Helios Program. In the next years he would dedicate his practice to religious architecture, designing many churches and religious buildings throughout the country, like St. Thomas Aquinas church, in Lisbon. In 1992 as a Team Leader in Urban Planning Department at the Lisbon City Council, he was involved in the first portuguese City Masterplan. In the following years he was a key player in implementing modern urban planning throughout the country. José became the Director of the Urban Planning Department in Lisbon’s City Council and finally the Municipal Director of Urbanism in 2005.
Founded PIMAA in 2007.
Gonçalo Pires Marques
Gonçalo graduated from the Lisbon University of Architecture – FAUTL in 1996. After working as an illustrator and comics author for the legendary Belgian magazine A Suivre and national newspapers, O Independente, Público and Expresso, he moved to Barcelona in 1998 to work with Ricardo Boffill at the mythic La Fábrica on multiple projects in Tokyo, Chicago, Prague, Luxembourg, Puerto Rico and Paris. He left the Taller de Arquitectura to dedicate his time to pursue studying Painting in SpaiVaho Barcelona. In 2001 Gonçalo was invited to collaborate with Graphos as project manager for the Sporting Portugal Stadium, but his fan team arena design was never built. In 2002 joined RRJ to work on multiple projects like a Monastery in Turcifal and a Television Headquarters – TVI. After working with Ballast Nedam in Amsterdam and later on a collaboration with Ventura Valcarce in Barcelona, came the time to start his own practice.
Founded PIMAA in 2007.