Atelier Bugio is an architecture studio based in Lisbon, Portugal. It was founded in 1980 by the architect João Luãs Sousa Menezes and from 1998 to 2005 was directed by João Favila Menezes, Teresa Goes Ferreira, and Luis Rosário. Since 2005, it has been coordinated by João Favila Menezes.
Given the studio's family ties to the island of Madeira, its first projects were carried out there. Reflection on the cultural, material, and geographical aspects of the island formed the basis of the studio's research, which is evident in its current work.
João Favila Menezes (1966, Coimbra, Portugal). An architect who graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the Technical University of Lisbon in 1992, he has been a partner and general coordinating architect at Atelier Bugio in Lisbon since 1998. From a young age, he has exhibited his work in various exhibitions, such as the 3rd Sintra Architecture Biennial in 1998, the "Generation 90" Exhibition, organized by the College of Architects in 2000, and the National Architecture Exhibition "Living in Portugal 2000-2002," curated by the Institute of Arts.
He began his teaching career in 2006 in the Department of Architecture at the University of Évora, where he remained as a visiting professor until 2012. In 2008, he participated in the exhibition "Chain Reaction: Transformations in Hotel Architecture," promoted by the Serralves Foundation as part of the Allgarve 08 program. In 2009, he was invited to the exhibition "Superpositions: Six Studies in Portuguese Architecture," organized by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) in London, and in 2010 to the exhibition "Sola Paments" (6 Studies in Portuguese Architecture), organized by the Col-Legi D'arquitectes de Catalunya (COAC) in Barcelona. That same year, he participated again in the National Architecture Exhibition "Habitar Portugal 2006-2008," promoted by the College of Architects. In 2011, he published the monograph "ATELIER BUGIO João Favila Menezes." In 2015, he resumed his academic activity, teaching at the Faculty of Architecture of the Technical University of Lisbon, an activity he continues to this day.
In 2017, he joined the Municipal Office created by the Funchal City Council following the fires that affected the city. Its objective is to develop a territorial planning and defense strategy for the rehabilitation/regeneration of the city of Funchal, together with architects Paulo David and Gonçalo Byrne.
In addition to various projects in the housing and hospitality sectors, it developed a set of three mechanically assisted routes (in collaboration with Pedro Domingos, Pedro Matos Gameiro, and João Simões), related to gentle accessibility between the lower part of the city and the summit of São Jorge Castle Hill. These routes are based on the Gentle and Assisted Accessibility Plan for Castle Hill, promoted within the framework of the QREN – TERRITORIAL MOBILITY initiative. This plan, currently under construction, includes: the Mouraria Route, whose continuous connection, composed of three sections of escalators, links Martim Moniz with São Jorge Castle (completed and operational); and the Graça Route, which aims to connect the Sophia de Mello Breyner Andersen Viewpoint with Alta Mouraria by means of a funicular (work in progress - scheduled for June 2023).
