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Spotlight: Maria do Rosário Jacinto

Maria do Rosário joined the Fragmentos team in 2013 and in 2016 took on the role of project coordinator and responsibility for the new business and communication departments. Two years later, became one of the associate architects. Read the full bio here.

 

You began your career in Copenhagen. What are the differences and similarities between Portugal and Denmark?

After finishing my degree, I went to Copenhagen in search of international professional experience. Like Portugal, Denmark is a small country with a strong architectural tradition. There are obviously differences in the approach to projects because they are different societies and geographies, and all this is reflected in how space is designed, but what motivated me to seek this experience was the possibility to intervene on an urban scale that at a time was difficult to find in Portugal. At 3XN I worked in the competitions department, a very creative environment with lots of room for experimentation. There was enormous care with form and its relation to the immediate environment, privileging the creation of a concept, a story. Even today, I still try to follow this approach to the project.

How do you coordinate the responsibilities of motherhood with a career in a management position?

I have always been given opportunities to grow at Fragmentos, even as my family has grown. The fastest period of growth at Fragmentos took place in parallel with the birth of my daughters. By choice, I didn't completely step away from the studio during my maternity leave. While I obviously had no time to get deeply involved in projects, I continued to follow the communication work, which didn't require my ongoing presence. The biggest difficulty was finding the balance after becoming a mother, because I wanted to continue to have the same availability for the studio and at the same time keep up with my family. I managed to organise my life such that home, school, and work were all within a 15-minute radius on foot, which gave me the flexibility to manage my time both at home and in the studio. Nowadays you can work from anywhere, but I like to be present in the day-to-day environment of the studio, so it was important for me to create this proximity and flexibility. I never felt that I had to choose between my career progression or caring for my family. Despite its growth, Fragmentos is a family studio led by people with a strong human component. 

For several years you were responsible for the Concept Design phase at Fragmentos. Is that where you feel most challenged to design?

Concept Design is the most creative and sensitive phase of a project. The emptiness of the blank sheet of paper. Developing a concept as a team, that fits the site and tells a story that fits the programme, finding a path that is legally viable and which reflects what the client is looking for is a huge challenge. It remains the phase in which I get involved with the greatest enthusiasm because it is so dynamic and decisive for the development of the project. It is a very rich phase of exchanging ideas, with decisions going back and forth, searching for inspiration, and solving new challenges. All these components are highly variable, and it is a phase in which the project tends to evolve very quickly. I find this design volatility at the start of a project very stimulating.

Maria do Rosário joined the Fragmentos team in 2013 and in 2016 took on the role of project coordinator and responsibility for the new business and communication departments. Two years later, became one of the associate architects. Read the full bio here.

 

You began your career in Copenhagen. What are the differences and similarities between Portugal and Denmark?

After finishing my degree, I went to Copenhagen in search of international professional experience. Like Portugal, Denmark is a small country with a strong architectural tradition. There are obviously differences in the approach to projects because they are different societies and geographies, and all this is reflected in how space is designed, but what motivated me to seek this experience was the possibility to intervene on an urban scale that at a time was difficult to find in Portugal. At 3XN I worked in the competitions department, a very creative environment with lots of room for experimentation. There was enormous care with form and its relation to the immediate environment, privileging the creation of a concept, a story. Even today, I still try to follow this approach to the project.

How do you coordinate the responsibilities of motherhood with a career in a management position?

I have always been given opportunities to grow at Fragmentos, even as my family has grown. The fastest period of growth at Fragmentos took place in parallel with the birth of my daughters. By choice, I didn't completely step away from the studio during my maternity leave. While I obviously had no time to get deeply involved in projects, I continued to follow the communication work, which didn't require my ongoing presence. The biggest difficulty was finding the balance after becoming a mother, because I wanted to continue to have the same availability for the studio and at the same time keep up with my family. I managed to organise my life such that home, school, and work were all within a 15-minute radius on foot, which gave me the flexibility to manage my time both at home and in the studio. Nowadays you can work from anywhere, but I like to be present in the day-to-day environment of the studio, so it was important for me to create this proximity and flexibility. I never felt that I had to choose between my career progression or caring for my family. Despite its growth, Fragmentos is a family studio led by people with a strong human component. 

For several years you were responsible for the Concept Design phase at Fragmentos. Is that where you feel most challenged to design?

Concept Design is the most creative and sensitive phase of a project. The emptiness of the blank sheet of paper. Developing a concept as a team, that fits the site and tells a story that fits the programme, finding a path that is legally viable and which reflects what the client is looking for is a huge challenge. It remains the phase in which I get involved with the greatest enthusiasm because it is so dynamic and decisive for the development of the project. It is a very rich phase of exchanging ideas, with decisions going back and forth, searching for inspiration, and solving new challenges. All these components are highly variable, and it is a phase in which the project tends to evolve very quickly. I find this design volatility at the start of a project very stimulating.

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