Pioneer of modern architecture in the Algarve

Born in Vila Real de Santo António in 1921, Manuel Gomes da Costa was one of the most influential modernist architects in southern Portugal. A graduate of the Porto School of Fine Arts, he brought international modernist ideas—drawn from figures like Le Corbusier, Oscar Niemeyer, and Giuseppe Terragni—into dialogue with Algarve’s local traditions.

From his base in Faro, Gomes da Costa designed over 400 buildings across the region between 1950 and 2002, ranging from churches and schools to striking apartment blocks and private homes. His work is known for its geometric clarity, elegant façades, and sensitive integration of modernism into the local climate and culture.

Today, his buildings stand as a quiet but powerful legacy of mid-century Portuguese architecture—regional, modern, and deeply humane.