SETE SETE NOVE, ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN Unip. Lda.
SETE SETE NOVE is an architectural practice led by architect José Castro Silva, bringing together the expertise and professional partners best suited to the scale, programme and complexity of each project.
Rather than operating as a closed structure, our working method is based on coordination, collaboration and the integration of specialist knowledge throughout the different stages of design and construction.
Architect & Managing Director
A practising architect since 2003, José Castro Silva leads SETE SETE NOVE, coordinating project development and the relationship between clients, designers, consultants, contractors and the other parties involved.
Throughout his professional career, he has complemented his architectural background with specialist expertise in building acoustics, Passive House and energy performance, site supervision, construction management and construction safety.
This diversity of experience enables projects to be approached beyond their formal design, taking into account the technical, regulatory, economic and construction implications of the decisions made throughout the process.
Professional practice is complemented by active involvement in the Ordem dos Arquitectos in matters related to construction management, site supervision and management, currently chairing the Steering Committee responsible for establishing the corresponding Specialist College.
SETE SETE NOVE works with a network of architects, engineers, consultants and other specialist professionals, assembling teams tailored to the specific characteristics of each commission.
This network also extends to craftspeople, manufacturers, suppliers of materials and construction systems, and specialist contractors, allowing specific expertise to be incorporated whenever the project requires it.
The team adapts to the project. The coordination remains.
Coordination does not end when a set of drawings is delivered.
Every decision made during the design process has implications for cost, coordination between disciplines, construction, maintenance and the future performance of the building. For this reason, we aim to maintain an overall understanding of the process and to bring design and construction closer together.
Our experience in architectural design, technical development, site supervision and construction monitoring allows many of these relationships to be anticipated and supports more informed decision-making throughout the entire process.
No two sites are alike, no two briefs are alike, no two clients are alike, and no two construction projects are alike.
Each project raises new questions, requires an understanding of different constraints, and calls for research into materials, systems, techniques or ways of building.
Experience makes it possible to identify problems more quickly and make better-informed decisions. But it also teaches us that not every answer is known from the outset.
At SETE SETE NOVE, we see every project as an opportunity to apply what we know and to learn what we still need to know.