Articles Recognitions

Spotlight: Isabel Pereira

Isabel joined the Fragmentos team in 2003 and in 2016 took on the role of project coordinator. Three years later, became one of the associate architects. Read the full bio here.

 

You lead a very young team. When we talk about a new generation, we talk about a new way of learning and a new speed. How do you deal with this challenge?

This very young generation represents a very interesting challenge. They show that society is getting faster and faster and force us to keep up with that pace, which is a positive point. Regarding coordination, it requires more attention, because speed can often bring with it a lack of focus and the current demand of society is not just about time, but also about quality. It is a pleasure to lead a young and dynamic team, and it is very motivating to pass on the passion of the company's spirit to this younger group and to experience the dedication and dynamism of this way of working with determination.

One of your team's specialities is student residences. This month the António Granjo residence is inaugurated. What are the main differences between designing multi-family housing and student residences?

Essentially, it is a project with a completely different type of client. A student residence requires more institutional negotiation with legal entities and has specificities regarding the deliveries/deadlines and budget that need to be met so that its construction is feasible. It requires economic, non-emotional, client-level management (expectations management). The project has to go well, quickly, and generate profit. There is no room for missed deadlines. There are many stakeholders in the process which, being very dynamic, occupies a large part of the production time in interactions. Housing projects have more emotional and personalised demands. “Tailoring the suit to the client”. It is a relationship with the end client that extends over a period of years, from the first sketch to delivery of the key, which is also quite demanding, yet equally motivating.

We know that when the cost constraint is high, the architect is forced to make difficult choices. For you, what is it not possible to give up?

I don't think of it as giving up. It is more a question of reprogramming. As with everything in life there is always more than one solution to the same problem. Designs are often reworked after the implementation of the project, when the cost estimate of the work is calculated or during the contract tender phase, to align it with the intended budget. We are at a particularly difficult time, as construction prices are increasing, which could render projects unfeasible. We seek to be by our clients’ side to make it possible to take the project to its end. I'll provide a practical example that happened to us at the Granjo Residence. In order to remain within budget without losing the essence of the design, we chose to reduce the size of the openings and cupboards during the construction phase. This was merely a small detail that did not compromise the habitability conditions or minimum requirements of the design. Today, we believe that it even improved the image of the project and allowed us to get closer to the feasible value for the construction. We also work frequently in partnership with construction companies, suppliers and project managers in the search for more economical and equally feasible alternative solutions to achieve the desired value, for example, changing the brands of equipment or the coatings initially planned to identical, but more economical ones. Fundamental in this process for us and for our clients is to maintain the basic principle, of having as a final product a piece of architecture in which the client feels good and happy to occupy or live in, without changing the essence of the design of which we can be proud.

What are the three projects that have most challenged you?

This question is very difficult, because effectively and fortunately for me, each project has represented a new challenge. Over the years I have touched on several project areas, each with its very particular characteristics.

Multifamily housing rehabilitation project, on Rua da Madalena - It was the first housing project that I was fully involved with and that I followed from the first to the last day. I grew profoundly during this project. During the construction phase, it required constant monitoring due to several problems that arose, specifically with the management of the construction. It was a very demanding work with several vicissitudes. Constantly undergoing reprogramming. It required a lot of dedication and with that a lot of growth. I gained a lot of insight about what it is to truly build during this project. Monitoring the work is fundamental in the learning of an architect. The client, initially just the developer, ended up being each one of the buyers in the final stage. I can say that I know this project down to the last screw. It took a lot of effort and dedication.

Lombos, a student residence in Carcavelos - It was a transition to a different area. A new use, a new programme, a different type of client, a transition to the multidisciplinary teams involved, an increase in responsibility and an increase in demand for the final product.

She, in Cascais - It is a residential project in Monte Estoril that represents a mix of pure rehabilitation with new construction. A countless number of stakeholders, from the client that was formed by two entities (one of them a foreign fund), with a very active and demanding project management, but which has also been a strong partner throughout the entire process, a communication and sales team on the part of the client who participated in the project from the early stages, a very strong interaction with the city council and various legislative bodies, since the project is located in a sensitive area with strong urban requirements and demanding legislation, integration and coordination with specialist teams, with complex projects due to the project requirements in what concerned the equipment and systems to be integrated in order to obtain a luxury and sustainable project with a strong focus on energy and sustainability, and finally the coordination and interaction with an international decoration team that added value and complexity to the project. It also represented a strong internal management of the work and the team. It has been a pleasure and at the same time a struggle or challenge at each of the stages. We recently concluded the implementation project and I believe it is a project that will require close monitoring until its last day, which will bring surprises, mainly because it involves rehabilitation in a listed building. I have no doubt that it will become a benchmark project with the Fragmentos signature.

 

Isabel joined the Fragmentos team in 2003 and in 2016 took on the role of project coordinator. Three years later, became one of the associate architects. Read the full bio here.

 

You lead a very young team. When we talk about a new generation, we talk about a new way of learning and a new speed. How do you deal with this challenge?

This very young generation represents a very interesting challenge. They show that society is getting faster and faster and force us to keep up with that pace, which is a positive point. Regarding coordination, it requires more attention, because speed can often bring with it a lack of focus and the current demand of society is not just about time, but also about quality. It is a pleasure to lead a young and dynamic team, and it is very motivating to pass on the passion of the company's spirit to this younger group and to experience the dedication and dynamism of this way of working with determination.

One of your team's specialities is student residences. This month the António Granjo residence is inaugurated. What are the main differences between designing multi-family housing and student residences?

Essentially, it is a project with a completely different type of client. A student residence requires more institutional negotiation with legal entities and has specificities regarding the deliveries/deadlines and budget that need to be met so that its construction is feasible. It requires economic, non-emotional, client-level management (expectations management). The project has to go well, quickly, and generate profit. There is no room for missed deadlines. There are many stakeholders in the process which, being very dynamic, occupies a large part of the production time in interactions. Housing projects have more emotional and personalised demands. “Tailoring the suit to the client”. It is a relationship with the end client that extends over a period of years, from the first sketch to delivery of the key, which is also quite demanding, yet equally motivating.

We know that when the cost constraint is high, the architect is forced to make difficult choices. For you, what is it not possible to give up?

I don't think of it as giving up. It is more a question of reprogramming. As with everything in life there is always more than one solution to the same problem. Designs are often reworked after the implementation of the project, when the cost estimate of the work is calculated or during the contract tender phase, to align it with the intended budget. We are at a particularly difficult time, as construction prices are increasing, which could render projects unfeasible. We seek to be by our clients’ side to make it possible to take the project to its end. I'll provide a practical example that happened to us at the Granjo Residence. In order to remain within budget without losing the essence of the design, we chose to reduce the size of the openings and cupboards during the construction phase. This was merely a small detail that did not compromise the habitability conditions or minimum requirements of the design. Today, we believe that it even improved the image of the project and allowed us to get closer to the feasible value for the construction. We also work frequently in partnership with construction companies, suppliers and project managers in the search for more economical and equally feasible alternative solutions to achieve the desired value, for example, changing the brands of equipment or the coatings initially planned to identical, but more economical ones. Fundamental in this process for us and for our clients is to maintain the basic principle, of having as a final product a piece of architecture in which the client feels good and happy to occupy or live in, without changing the essence of the design of which we can be proud.

What are the three projects that have most challenged you?

This question is very difficult, because effectively and fortunately for me, each project has represented a new challenge. Over the years I have touched on several project areas, each with its very particular characteristics.

Multifamily housing rehabilitation project, on Rua da Madalena - It was the first housing project that I was fully involved with and that I followed from the first to the last day. I grew profoundly during this project. During the construction phase, it required constant monitoring due to several problems that arose, specifically with the management of the construction. It was a very demanding work with several vicissitudes. Constantly undergoing reprogramming. It required a lot of dedication and with that a lot of growth. I gained a lot of insight about what it is to truly build during this project. Monitoring the work is fundamental in the learning of an architect. The client, initially just the developer, ended up being each one of the buyers in the final stage. I can say that I know this project down to the last screw. It took a lot of effort and dedication.

Lombos, a student residence in Carcavelos - It was a transition to a different area. A new use, a new programme, a different type of client, a transition to the multidisciplinary teams involved, an increase in responsibility and an increase in demand for the final product.

She, in Cascais - It is a residential project in Monte Estoril that represents a mix of pure rehabilitation with new construction. A countless number of stakeholders, from the client that was formed by two entities (one of them a foreign fund), with a very active and demanding project management, but which has also been a strong partner throughout the entire process, a communication and sales team on the part of the client who participated in the project from the early stages, a very strong interaction with the city council and various legislative bodies, since the project is located in a sensitive area with strong urban requirements and demanding legislation, integration and coordination with specialist teams, with complex projects due to the project requirements in what concerned the equipment and systems to be integrated in order to obtain a luxury and sustainable project with a strong focus on energy and sustainability, and finally the coordination and interaction with an international decoration team that added value and complexity to the project. It also represented a strong internal management of the work and the team. It has been a pleasure and at the same time a struggle or challenge at each of the stages. We recently concluded the implementation project and I believe it is a project that will require close monitoring until its last day, which will bring surprises, mainly because it involves rehabilitation in a listed building. I have no doubt that it will become a benchmark project with the Fragmentos signature.

 

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