Our vision for architecture in 2018

We can affirm that the 29 of May of 2018 represents a historical retrocession in Portuguese architecture and urbanism, the President of the Republic new diploma of the parliament that comes to open the exercise and the practice of the Architecture to other professions without qualification for this purpose, when the class of architects has always been able to respond to the social needs for which it was requested the environmental quality of populations and urban life.

It is a favored addition to a restricted professional group that has kept all the acts of their specific training untouchable, besides being able to constitute an intolerable inequality of treatment with other professionals of this professional class. This approval foresees a 2018 and the next dark years for architects, contributing to aggravate and increase the unemployment of architects, already affecting in a worrying way the new generations and will undoubtedly have harmful consequences to the quality of the urban environment of the Country and the good an international image of Architecture subscribed by Portuguese architects.

The Portuguese architecture has given signs of the quality of the architects in the most recognized international awards and the architect Souto de Moura recently received the Golden Lion. I am sure that the Order of Architects will use all available means to reverse this legislative retrogression which completely disrespects a professional class of more than 24,000 architects.

“Architecture is done by Architects”

See also article on importance of the architect

Article Prepared by Architect Maria Joao Andrade e Silva, Managing Partner MJARC Arquitectos