Our practice
Founded in 2008, Escala Absoluta develops architecture and engineering from its headquarters in Figueira da Foz and Lisbon office. The family legacy predates the studio.
We are 26 people working side by side: architecture, engineering, technical drawing, interiors, permitting and management. Every project brings together conceptual thinking, technical rigour and attention to material, keeping clients, consultants and the site close from the first sketch.
Team structure
Org chart
View profileEdgar Gonçalves
Architect · CEO
José Gonçalves
Project Coordinator
Herminia Gonçalves
Administration
Joana Gonçalves
Head of Architecture
Vera Silva
Architect
Rúben Jácome
Architect
Alana Perdigão
Architect
Inês Borges Ribeiro
Architect
Duarte Santos
Architect
Cristiana Fulgêncio
Architect
Barbara Machado
Architect
Inês Rosa
Architect
Filipa Simões
Civil Engineer
Douglas Dode
Engineer
João Carvalheiro
Engineer
Edgar Neves
Draughtsman
Pedro Boia
Draughtsman
Filipe Freitas
Draughtsman
Inês Fonseca
Interior Designer
Beatriz Ferraz
Solicitor
Rita Rosendo
Marketing
Sónia Rodrigues
Administration
Jéssica Silva
Administration
Sofia Simões
Administration
Legacy
In memory of our Father and founder
José Oliveira Gonçalves
3 January 1958 — 6 July 2025
Founder of Escala Absoluta, he taught us what matters most: to listen to those who build, to draw with rigour, and to treat every work as a lasting commitment.
His way of working remains present in every project of the studio, today led by Edgar Gonçalves and Joana Gonçalves, who continue the path he began.
Thank you for everything, Father.