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U.Porto Memory

University of Porto Famous Alumni

Rui Pimentel

Rui Pimentel 1924-2005 Architect

Rui Pimentel Ferreira was born in Porto, in Massarelos parish, on 14 December 1924.

In the academic year 1942/1943, he enrolled in the Architecture course at the Porto School of Fine Arts.

Between 1944 and the end of his studies, he participated in the exhibitions of the Independentes group under the pseudonym "Arco". In 1952, he formed a team with three foreign architects, who participated in the C.I.A.M. summer courses, in Venice, and in the academic year 1952-1953 he represented ESBAP at an international architecture schools event in São Paulo, Brazil, together with fellow student Augusto Amaral.

In 1962, he was entrusted by Carlos Ramos, the head of ESBAP, to plan, together with Henrique Lagoa, the Black Art exhibition (a collection owned by Vítor Bandeira), inaugurated in the Magna Exhibition of the School held in that year, and repeated later in Palácio Foz, in Lisbon.

During this period, he was invited to the post of exceptional assistant in Great Composition, in the 4th and 6th years of the Architecture Course, which he also occupied in the academic years 1962/1963 and 1963/1964.

In July 1964, he competed for the Architecture diploma (CODA), and achieved full marks.

Between 1955 and 1960, together with Fernando Távora and António Meneres, he joined the team in charge of the zone 1 study, in the Survey on Popular Architecture.

Yet, before that, in 1946, he had already begun his activity as a professional architect, working with architects Fernando Tudela and Fernando Barbosa, and then later with Arménio Losa (1948).

Up to 1964, he designed, individually and as part of a team, housing projects, (in particular Olivais, with Duarte Castelo-Branco), private homes and shops, especially in Porto, and participated with Fernando Távora in the Leixões Harbour Regulatory Plan.

In the summer of that same year, he was invited by the Lourenço Marques City Hall (nowadays Maputo) in Mozambique, to help set up the Town Planning Department, where he worked until 1965.

In 1970, he exhibited his furniture in Johannesburg, using exotic woods from Mozambique.

Between 1970 and 1972, he participated in the Public Works Committee for Mozambique Province, as the delegate of the General Government, and he was asked to assess the Town Plan for Costa do Sol.

In the meantime, he set up a workshop where he developed several projects until 1974, and ran a furniture factory in Lourenço Marques (SIESTA).

After the independence of Mozambique, Rui Pimentel tried, without much success, to continue his activity as a free-lance architect in the country.

When he returned to Portugal, in 1977, he was invited to lead the sub-group "Móveis de Estilo" (stylish furniture), by the "Grupo de Fomento de Substituição de Importações" (Import Developments) of the Ministry of Planning. He was commissioned to prepare and present the book "Estudo do Móvel em Portugal" (A study on Portuguese furniture).

Since then, he has designed many housing projects (a house in Santarém, 500 apartments in Maia), the revamping project for Guimarães City Hall, and several bank branch-offices and laboratories.

In 2003, he was nominated Honorary Member of the Association of Portuguese Architects.

He died on June 5, 2005.
(Universidade Digital / Gestão de Informação, 2009)