Madalena Vidigal is a Portugal-based architect and independent researcher. Through collaborations with institutions, associations, and communities, her work expands the dialogue between research and practice, valuing legacy, communality, and sufficiency.
Each project is approached with a horizontal, cross-disciplinary mindset.
Studies
Publication
Curation
Prototype
Educational
Cultural
Residential
Communal
Principles
Legacy – Engaging with architectural, material, and cultural heritage as a foundation for critical reflection, adaptation, and transformation in contemporary practice.
Communality – Embracing collective processes, participatory design, and multivocal knowledges to create spaces that foster social connection, agency and ecology.
Sufficiency – Advocating for resource-conscious approaches, ecological construction, and adaptive reuse, prioritizing what is essential, available, and locally grounded.
For collaborations, commissions, or to share ideas, please get in touch.
madalena.vidigal@gmail.com
SELECTED CLIENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS
Direção Regional da Cultura da Madeira
Fundação Marques das Silva
Garagem Sul | CCB Belém Cultural Center
Governo Regional da Madeira
Munícipio do Porto Santo
Museu da Paisagem
OASRS / OASRMAD
PORTA33
Robida
SELECTED PRESS
Koozarch — Reinventing the classroom: past, present and future of school architecture
Umbigo — Uma visita à “Escola do Porto Santo: uma obra de Raúl Chorão Ramalho”
Umbigo — Escola da Vila – Construção de um espaço comum
Público — Na ilha de Porto Santo, uma antiga escola é agora um laboratório de artes e pensamento
Punkto — Rui Goes Ferreira: imagem de uma obra interrompida
Web Design Joana Lourencinho Carneiro
Madalena Vidigal is a Portugal-based architect and independent researcher. Through collaborations with institutions, associations, and communities, her work expands the dialogue between research and practice, valuing legacy, communality, and sufficiency.
Each project is approached with a horizontal, cross-disciplinary mindset.
Studies
Publication
Educational
Cultural
Curation
Prototype
Residential
Communal
Principles
Legacy – Engaging with architectural, material, and cultural heritage as a foundation for critical reflection, adaptation, and transformation in contemporary practice.
Communality – Embracing collective processes, participatory design, and multivocal knowledges to create spaces that foster social connection, agency and ecology.
Sufficiency – Advocating for resource-conscious approaches, ecological construction, and adaptive reuse, prioritizing what is essential, available, and locally grounded.
For collaborations, commissions, or to share ideas, please get in touch.
madalena.vidigal@gmail.com
SELECTED CLIENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS
Direção Regional da Cultura da Madeira
Fundação Marques das Silva
Garagem Sul | CCB Belém Cultural Center
Governo Regional da Madeira
Munícipio do Porto Santo
Museu da Paisagem
OASRS / OASRMAD
PORTA33
Robida
SELECTED PRESS
Koozarch — Reinventing the classroom: past, present and future of school architecture
Umbigo — Uma visita à “Escola do Porto Santo: uma obra de Raúl Chorão Ramalho”
Umbigo — Escola da Vila – Construção de um espaço comum
Público — Na ilha de Porto Santo, uma antiga escola é agora um laboratório de artes e pensamento
Punkto — Rui Goes Ferreira: imagem de uma obra interrompida
Web Design Joana Lourencinho Carneiro
Madalena Vidigal (1992)
Portuguese native, advanced english (B2), intermidiate italian (B1), elementary spanish and french
Education
2010 - 2016 Master of Architecture, University of Porto (FAUP), PT
2014 - 2015 Exchange program, Accademia di Architettura de Mendrisio, CH
2020 - 2021 Post-graduation in Social and Sustainable Architecture, Porto Artistic School (ESAP) | Critical Concrete, PT
Advanced training
2024 Repartion Architecture with Paulo Tavares, online, BR
2023 Earth Construction in Morroco, with BBB and BC Architects, ecological and bioclimatic building knowledge, Ouled Merzoug MA
2022 Da linha ao círculo, Portuguese Architects Registration Board, online, PT
2022 Design & Build 2022 - Plant based woven architecture, Évora PT
2021 Construction Labs, with Coletivo Mel, Pietro del Esposti, Hanno Burtscher (earthman), Critical Concrete, Porto PT
Awards and grants
2025 Culture Moves Europe, Mobility Grant
2022 Michelangelo Foundation, Educational Grant for Young Designers
2021 Madeira and Porto Santo Architecture Prize, Honorable Mention
2017 Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Grant to Support Artistic Creation
Exhibitions
2023 “Porto Santo School: A work by Raúl Chorão Ramalho” co-curation (itinerancy), Garagem Sul, Lisbon PT
2021 “Porto Santo School: Construction of a Common Place” co-curation, Porta 33, Madeira PT
2021 “Atlas Suzane Daveau” co-curation, Nacional Library of Portugal, Lisbon PT
2018 “Rui Goes Ferreira. Image of an interrupted work”, curation, Porta 33, Funchal PT
Selected publications
2024 Graphic-design, artist's book “Ana Vidigal”, Lisboa, Documenta
2023 Author, Cadernos de Viagem n. 10, edited by André Tavares, Lisboa, Centro Cultural de Belém
2021 Co-editor, diptych “Atlas Suzanne Daveau” e “O Ambiente Geográfico Natural.”
2019 Editor assistant “Arquivo: Diogo Seixas Lopes”, Porto, Dafne Editor
2018 Article “A cultura de uma paisagem insular," TRANSLOCAL. Culturas Contemporâneas Locais e Urbanas, n. 1
Selected lectures, talks and academic engagement
2025 “Beyond Matter”, Radio Robida, IZBA, Topòlo, IT
2024 “Realizar a Utopia”, Lusíada University, Lisbon PT
2023 “Atlas Suzanne Daveau”, Livraria do Batalha, Porto PT
2021 Moderation, Escola do Porto Santo, with Ana Tostões, Paulo David, et al.
2019 Annual Architecture Month Conference, “Habitação Colectiva: Cidade para todos”, OASRS, Funchal PT
2015 - 2017 Teaching assistant Porto Academy Summer School (Bast FR, Jun Igarashi JP, Sami PT)
Selected collaborations
2017 - 2025 Collaborations from which the selected projects:
2021 - 2023 URBiNAT: Campanhã Healthy Corridor, as member of AGRUPA International Network, Porto PT
2018 - 2019 Gardens of Stone, as architect at BARBAS LOPES, Lisbon PT
2017 - 2018 Arquivo: Diogo Seixas Lopes, as editor assistant and inventory at DAFNE, Porto/Lisbon PT
Madalena Vidigal (1992)
Portuguese native, advanced english (B2), intermidiate italian (B1), elementary spanish and french
Education
2010 - 2016 Master of Architecture, University of Porto (FAUP), PT
2014 - 2015 Exchange program, Accademia di Architettura de Mendrisio, CH
2020 - 2021 Post-graduation in Social and Sustainable Architecture, Porto Artistic School (ESAP) | Critical Concrete, PT
Advanced training
2024 Repartion Architecture with Paulo Tavares, online, BR
2023 Earth Construction in Morroco, with BBB and BC Architects, ecological and bioclimatic building knowledge, Ouled Merzoug MA
2022 Da linha ao círculo, Portuguese Architects Registration Board, online, PT
2022 Design & Build 2022 - Plant based woven architecture, Évora PT
2021 Construction Labs, with Coletivo Mel, Pietro del Esposti, Hanno Burtscher (earthman), Critical Concrete, Porto PT
Awards and grants
2025 Culture Moves Europe, Mobility Grant
2022 Michelangelo Foundation, Educational Grant for Young Designers
2021 Madeira and Porto Santo Architecture Prize, Honorable Mention
2017 Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Grant to Support Artistic Creation
Exhibitions
2023 “Porto Santo School: A work by Raúl Chorão Ramalho” co-curation (itinerancy), Garagem Sul, Lisbon PT
2021 “Porto Santo School: Construction of a Common Place” co-curation, Porta 33, Madeira PT
2021 “Atlas Suzane Daveau” co-curation, Nacional Library of Portugal, Lisbon PT
2018 “Rui Goes Ferreira. Image of an interrupted work”, curation, Porta 33, Funchal PT
Selected publications
2024 Graphic-design, artist's book “Ana Vidigal”, Lisboa, Documenta
2023 Author, Cadernos de Viagem n. 10, edited by André Tavares, Lisboa, Centro Cultural de Belém
2021 Co-editor, diptych “Atlas Suzanne Daveau” e “O Ambiente Geográfico Natural.”
2019 Editor assistant “Arquivo: Diogo Seixas Lopes”, Porto, Dafne Editor
2018 Article “A cultura de uma paisagem insular," TRANSLOCAL. Culturas Contemporâneas Locais e Urbanas, n. 1
Selected lectures, talks and academic engagement
2025 “Beyond Matter”, Radio Robida, IZBA, Topòlo, IT
2024 “Realizar a Utopia”, Lusíada University, Lisbon PT
2023 “Atlas Suzanne Daveau”, Livraria do Batalha, Porto PT
2021 Moderation, Escola do Porto Santo, with Ana Tostões, Paulo David, et al.
2019 Annual Architecture Month Conference, “Habitação Colectiva: Cidade para todos”, OASRS, Funchal PT
2015 - 2017 Teaching assistant Porto Academy Summer School (Bast FR, Jun Igarashi JP, Sami PT)
Selected collaborations
2017 - 2025 Collaborations from which the selected projects:
2021 - 2023 URBiNAT: Campanhã Healthy Corridor, as member of AGRUPA International Network, Porto PT
2018 - 2019 Gardens of Stone, as architect at BARBAS LOPES, Lisbon PT
2017 - 2018 Arquivo: Diogo Seixas Lopes, as editor assistant and inventory at DAFNE, Porto/Lisbon PT
Currently based between Porto, Lisbon and Funchal, I am working in self-iniciative projects and curating an exhibiton commissioned by CCB | Centro de Arquitectura, oppening may 2026.
As an independent architect and reseacher, I have worked and collaborated with several institutions, associations, and communities. Key projects include the revitalization of Escola da Vila do Porto Santo, awarded an Honorable Mention at the Madeira Architecture Prize (2022), and the curatorial research on the legacy of Raul Chorão Ramalho, Rui Goes Ferreira and Suzanne Daveau. Published in magazines such as Punkto, Umbigo and Koozarch.
Trained at the Faculty of Architecture of Porto (FAUP) with an exchange at the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio, I have collaborated with several architectural studios, while deepening my engagement of ecological building techniques through hands-on experiences in Portugal and Morocco.
Previously I have contributed to studios such as Barbas Lopes, Baixa Atelier, and hori-zonte, and integrated A-GRUPA Collaborative Urbanism Network in participatory urbanism initiatives.
I believe that architecture should act as an aggregating discipline, capable of uniting multivocal knowledge and fostering a harmonious and continuous relationship with the natural world.

© Inês Cardoso Ribeiro
Currently based between Porto, Lisbon and Funchal, I am working in self-iniciative projects and curating an exhibiton commissioned by CCB | Centro de Arquitectura, oppening may 2026.
As an independent architect and reseacher, I have worked and collaborated with several institutions, associations, and communities. Key projects include the revitalization of Escola da Vila do Porto Santo, awarded an Honorable Mention at the Madeira Architecture Prize (2022), and the curatorial research on the legacy of Raul Chorão Ramalho, Rui Goes Ferreira and Suzanne Daveau. Published in magazines such as Punkto, Umbigo and Koozarch.
Trained at the Faculty of Architecture of Porto (FAUP) with an exchange at the Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio, I have collaborated with several architectural studios, while deepening my engagement of ecological building techniques through hands-on experiences in Portugal and Morocco.
Previously I have contributed to studios such as Barbas Lopes, Baixa Atelier, and hori-zonte, and integrated A-GRUPA Collaborative Urbanism Network in participatory urbanism initiatives.
I believe that architecture should act as an aggregating discipline, capable of uniting multivocal knowledge and fostering a harmonious and continuous relationship with the natural world.

© Inês Cardoso Ribeiro