Aires Mateus

This poetic and minimalist anthology presents 10 years of heritage of AIRES MATEUSdesign studios at the Accademia di Archittettura di Mendrisio in Switzerland.100 images oflargescale models built by students of AIRES MATEUS are brought together to create afamily portrait. Each expertly staged model is pictured with the essential schemes necessaryto understand the volumes portrayed. Francisco and Manuel Aires Mateus’ many years ofexperience in pedagogy and the use of models in practice are brought together in a manifestowhich precedes the anthology of images. The importance of the model in the formation ofarchitectural ideas and throughout the design process, as well as its potency as a standalonestatement are highlighted. The evocative photographs in this book reveal abstract spacesproduced by artistic interpretations of light, volume and materiality.