Youth

 

I was born in Luanda, Angola. My parents moved to Portugal because they were struggling to find a suitable school in a country that was going through a civil war. I grew up unaware of these difficulties in a peaceful suburb of Lisbon. When I entered adulthood I simply had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. It was my father who suggested architecture: 'I think it would suit you,' he said, and so began my plunge into the world of property development.

 

Italy

 

In 1997, I did the third year of my architecture degree at the Politecnico di Milano. I always had a passion for fine art and studying in Italy allowed me to see the work of the old masters in loco.

 

When I look back at my Italian period, I still have memories of the cities I visited, the people I met, often on a shoestring budget. Sometimes I found myself sleeping at the train station, but I wouldn’t trade these memories for more comfortable experiences.

 

Norway

 

In 1999, I was granted a scholarship from the Research Council of Norway to do the final year of my degree at the NTNU, in Trondheim. It was a generous scholarship and as a result I had enough money in my bank account to afford the expensive Norwegian lifestyle.

 

There was no social media back then, and unfortunately some of my architectural adventures are not well documented, but the emotional and material freedom I experienced living in Norway, are so embedded in my mind, that I don't think I would recognize myself without these strong memories. It was in Norway that everything treasure about my life came together.

 

China

 

After finishing my architecture degree I used the remaining funds from my scholarship to finance a post-graduation course at the Xi'an University of Technology, in China (through the NTNU). I remember how excited myself and my colleagues were before flying to Asia. I also remember how relieved we were to return to Norway a few months later. Living in China made us to not take for granted the fortunate life we had in Europe.

 

Sweden

 

After graduating, I moved to Gothenburg. I wrote my CV for the first time. I called and emailed all the architectural firms I could find in the yellow pages. I also knocked on their doors. But despite my experience as a student and my knowledge of modern CAD technology, none of the firms I approached was prepared to offer me a job.

 

After one disappointment after another, suddenly I was offered a job as a junior architect in Stockholm. It was not the ideal job, since I had no job security, but I was able to start my professional career as a designer of office extensions and villas.

 

When I remember this period of my life, I often have flashbacks of walking through Humlegården, a park between my office and the Stockholm's School of Architecture. The sky rendered in light grey. I often had lunch with 2 architects to discuss an architectural competition we wanted to enter. The tree branches and grass covered in snow. Walking through the park was like walking through a white canvas. When I think about it, I have to admit that, despite the grey and cold weather, it was actually in Sweden that I tried for the first time to leave a mark in this world.

 

London

 

In 2002, I decided to leave Stockholm and move to London to pursue my career as an architect. After a difficult year to settle down I found myself working on the development of the Hilton As Cascatas, a 5* hotel and resort, which at the time was the largest project I had worked on. It was also the first building I saw being built from the documentation we had prepared, a process that still fascinates me today.

 

As my career progressed, the projects I worked on became larger, more complex and challenging; and suddenly I found myself working on the development of similar buildings I used to see on the covers of architectural magazines.

 

In 2004, I started a part-time Masters in Quantity Surveying to learn more about the financial side of property development. Probably not the most fashionable degree for an architect, but it certainly gave me the skills I needed to approach my career from a different angle.

 

I finished my MSc in 2007. By then I had joined the UK's largest cost consultancy. I had been involved in the construction and design of modern London landmarks such as 122 Leadenhall St and Broadgate Tower. My MSc dissertation on UK property derivatives had been awarded a distinction and I had been accepted as a member of the RICS. Unsure what to do next and curious to work in a young economy, I accepted a job offer and moved Down Under.

 

Australia

 

I still remember the day I landed in Australia. I remember the heat as I walked out of the airport. My mind was a mixture of curiosity and excitement, but I also remember thinking that I didn't want to live so far away from Europe for more than 2 years. Ten years later, I became an Australian citizen.

 

In Australia, I joined Mirvac's construction division as a contract administrator. This time I wanted to learn more about the process of putting a building together from a contractor's point of view. Construction is one of the major cost drivers in property development, so I wanted to understand the risks and opportunities of construction from the inside.

 

After Mirvac I worked for another construction company. Later I accepted a position as a project manager. Years later I moved back to Sweden, where I worked on large tunnels and industrial projects. By then I felt that nothing in the construction industry was a mystery to me anymore.

 

In recent years, I started to focus on innovation and improving the systems I work with.

 

 

Looking back, I feel it has been a long journey to become the professional I am today. I believe it has my curiosity and eagerness to be involved in large and complex projects that has driven me. I am not sure what the next stage of my career will be, but I am definitely looking forward to it. At the same time, it goes without saying that I am extremely grateful to my wife and children, family, friends and colleagues for their guidance and inspiration along the way.