Sofia Rodrigues is an architect who consistently pushes the boundaries of architecture and interior design. Her work experiments with new spatial concepts intensifying existing urban landscapes in the pursuit of a visionary aesthetic that encompasses all fields of design, ranging from urban scale through to products, interiors and furniture. Her central concerns involve a simultaneous engagement in practice, teaching and research.

EDUCATION AND TEACHING
Sofia studied architecture at the ESAP – Escola Superior Artística do Porto from 2001, after she graduated at Escola Secundária Artística de Soares dos Reis in Furniture and Product Design. She was awarded the Diploma Prize in 2008 with the thesis “The Feminine in Architecture – The Architectural Form and Gender Issues”, which is now waiting for publication. She then became an architect at NN – Arquitectura e Planeamento, Lda., taught Artistic Expression at Maia City Hall, and later led her own freelance career. She is since 2009 a member of the Portuguese Association of Architects.

PROJECTS
Sofia Rodrigues’ built work has won her much academic and public acclaim. Her best known projects to date are the Bom Sucesso Complex in Oporto, Portugal (2005), the Francos’ School Complex in Oporto, Portugal (2006), the rehabilitation of Oporto Cricket & Lawn Tennis Club in Oporto, Portugal (2008), and the rehabilitation and conversion of an old business building into Hotel Teatro (Design Hotel) in Oporto, Portugal (2010) most of them while collaborating at NN – Arquitectura e Planeamento, Lda. Recently, she was invited by paint manufacturer CIN to create a color for CIN Color Maker catalog, the first digital catalog of the brand. Cherry Blossom was the result of this invitation.

Recently, she embraced a new challenge, working at RTP (Portuguese Public Broadcaster) as a TV Producer.

EXHIBITIONS
Sofia’s paintings and drawings have always been an important testing field, and a medium for the exploration of her design. Major exhibitions include a Collective Exhibition of Painting in Castelo do Queijo, Oporto – Portugal (1997), Collective Exhibition of Architecture Models in Guarda – Portugal (2000) and the Annual Collective Exhibition of ESAP, Oporto – Portugal (2002).