Wednesday, 20/05/2026    EAAD | Campus de Azurém | auditório 1

On May 20th, at 2:00 PM, an open lecture titled “Local Practice” by Kuo Jze Yi will take place in Auditorium 1

The session, titled LOCAL PRACTICE — Building With Indigenous Communities, will focus on a decade of building experiences developed in rural contexts, emphasizing collaborative work with local communities. Case studies based on co-construction processes will be presented, including a cave settlement project ongoing since 2017, which explores the use of local materials and vernacular knowledge.

The lecture offers a reflection on alternative practices in contemporary architecture, centered on the reuse of local resources, collaboration with artisans, and participatory construction as both a creative and ethical process. The Local Practice research team, led by Kuo Jze Yi, works on community building and capacity building for sustainable development through co-construction practices. Kuo Jze Yi is currently an Assistant Professor and Deputy Programme Director (MScAAD) at the Department of Architecture of The University of Hong Kong, having studied architecture at the Architectural Association in London (2001–2008).

06/05/2026 - 26/05/2026    Casa das Artes de Vila Nova de Famalicão

From May 6 to 26, the Casa das Artes in Vila Nova de Famalicão will host the 'Fine Arts Degree Finalists' Exhibition, EAAD-UMinho | 2026', from the University of Minho. The opening ceremony will take place on May 6, at 6:00 PM

Synopsis: "We are all in the same boat, ready to disembark. Shouting, crying, or kicking feels like an option, perhaps to hold on a little longer to what is familiar, to what we know. But deep down, we are all in the same boat, ready to disembark; we want to escape, to let go, to leave. We want to be ready to make our own mistakes, time and time again. We’ll see each other around, in other lands, each now in their own boat. But what matters is knowing this: from the inside, everything seems normal; there are no distances for comparison. We know that one must leave the island to see the island." Ângela Gomes, cadizias, Carolina Leal, Catarino Bere, DOWGTTW, Emily Oliveira, Eva Rocha, FF, Henrique Pires, João Pavão, Jorge Cristino, Leonor Monteiro, Lídia Abreu, Margarida Freitas, Maria Ana Guerreiro, Maria João Torrado, Mariana Monteiro, Marta Marques Lopes, Miguel Magalhães, Pedro Stelmach, Raquel María, Sofia Vieira, Valentina Ribeiro”

Tuesday, 05/05/2026    EAAD - Campus de Azurém - auditório 1

The next session of the UC Convida lecture series, titled 'Under Construction' (Em Construção) and part of the Introduction to Construction course, will feature Soraia Fernandes from PURA Atelier.

The event takes place tomorrow, May 5th, at 4:00 PM in Auditorium 1 of the Azurém Campus in Guimarães, marking the final session of this series.

This session will focus on conventional construction systems — masonry, pillars, and beams — discussing their application in contemporary practice through the lens of technique, economy, and context.

'Under Construction' is a series of case study presentations within the real-world context of architecture. It promotes a critical reading of construction, exploring how technical decisions structure both the space and the performance of a project.

PURA is an architecture and design studio whose practice focuses primarily on single-family housing. They explore site-specific approaches and the use of common construction systems to optimize resources and deliver conscious, context-aware architecture.

04/05/2026 - 29/05/2026    B-Lounge da Biblioteca Central de Azurém

“Jardins portáteis / Jardines portátiles” From May 4th to 29th, the B-Lounge at the Azurém Central Library will host the traveling exhibition “Jardins portáteis / Jardines portátiles”. In September, the exhibition will travel to Spain, where it will be on display at the El Aljibe Gallery in Carmen de la Victoria.

“Jardins portáteis / Jardines portátiles” is a traveling exhibition featuring 23 artist's books created by students from the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Granada and the School of Architecture, Art and Design at the University of Minho (Guimarães, Portugal). The exhibition proposes an approach to the garden from a minimal scale—close to the body, the hand, and the act of reading—using foldable formats created with a variety of materials and techniques.

Thursday, 30/04/2026    EAAD | Campus de Azurém | Ginasi'UM

The exhibition ‘Under Construction’ opens on April 30th, at 11:00 AM, at Ginasi’UM, located on the Azurém Campus in Guimarães.

The exhibition invites a reflection on the role of construction in contemporary architecture, understood not merely as a technical solution, but as a stance regarding resources, production systems, environmental conditions, and cultural contexts. Through distinct approaches, the invited studios explore different ways of thinking about matter, systems, tectonics, and the responsibility of the project.

The showcase features work from six studios — SUMMARY, Pedrêz, Diogo Aguiar Studio, CRU, Clanet & Brito, and PURA — whose practices bridge industrialization, prefabrication, material experimentation, and bio-based construction. Ranging from concrete and wood to hemp, earth, and other building systems, the exhibition highlights how every constructive decision implies a specific relationship with the territory, the economy of means, and environmental impact.

The exhibition is intended as a space for observation and critical discussion, asserting construction as a central dimension of contemporary architectural thought.