Sena Architects
Olhão, Portugal
Sena Architects is an innovative architecture studio based in Olhão, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. The practice works across the full spectrum of architectural and interior design services, from historic building rehabilitation and new residential construction to hospitality design, conceptual projects and bespoke furniture design, with a particular sensitivity to the identity, memory and material character of the places they work in.
The studio's project portfolio is deeply rooted in the historic fabric of Olhão, a city whose layered architectural history provides both the physical context and the creative challenge for much of the team's most accomplished work. Alongside completed and in-progress projects, Sena Architects maintains an active design research practice under named conceptual series including Let Me Be Here, Frequency, Through the Looking Glass, Bind, Time, Space, Raw and Cargo, each an exploration of ideas that inform the studio's broader architectural thinking.
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Sena Architects approaches every commission as an opportunity to return something to the city. Whether the project is a historic rehabilitation, a residential renovation, a boutique hospitality concept or an interior design commission, the studio's work is consistently guided by a deep respect for the existing built environment, an understanding of local culture and material tradition, and a commitment to producing spaces that feel both contemporary and fundamentally of their place.
Casa dos Gelados is among the studio's most celebrated completed projects, a full renovation, interior design and furniture design commission for a building dating from 1920 in the historic centre of Olhão, where the project team worked to preserve the building's original character while transforming it into a fully contemporary and functional space. Casa Pires, a rehabilitation of a historic nineteenth century building that has played a central role in Olhão's municipal life, demonstrates the studio's capacity to balance preservation with contemporary adaptation and technical efficiency, returning a landmark building to active city life without erasing the evidence of its history. Apartamento F, a residential rehabilitation in the heart of Olhão, blends traditional character with modern comfort in a project that exemplifies the studio's approach to housing at a smaller and more intimate scale. Casa Amor, an ongoing boutique hotel development in the historic centre, represents the studio's most ambitious hospitality commission to date, a project built entirely around immersive local and traditional experience and the creation of a destination that celebrates the identity of Olhão as a city.
The studio's design research series, running in parallel with the built practice, reflects an intellectual seriousness and a commitment to exploring ideas beyond the immediate demands of client work. These conceptual explorations in form, material and spatial experience directly inform the quality of thinking that the studio brings to every project it undertakes.
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Architectural projects from concept through to completion.
Historic building rehabilitation and conservation-led design.
Interior design for residential, hospitality and commercial spaces.
Bespoke furniture design.
3D imaging and architectural visualisation.
Consultancy and client representation.
Technical translations for international clients.
Topographic surveys.
Engineering services.
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Let Me Be Here. Frequency. Through the Looking Glass. Bind. Time. Space. Raw. Cargo.
Contact
Email: info@sena-architects.com
Phone Number: +351 289 129 029
Instagram: @senaarchitects
Facebook: senaarchitects
LinkedIn: Sena Architects
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