For as long as I can remember, I have been surrounded in one way or another by activities of architecture and construction, not in the least because I am the youngest son of a master-carpenter who owned and ran a carpentry firm. However, teenage boys of my generation were intrigued by home-computers, challenging each other with their self-taught programming skills. I set out to study construction and architecture, with the idea initially to get into the construction industry myself. But soon I saw the challenge of integrating the potential of computers in architecture and construction. After a solid education in structural engineering (BEng), I thus continued my study on the topic of Building Information Technology (MSc), got a job in CAAD development, and completed a PhD with a thesis on information models for the support of architectural design.

Motivation

Over the past ten years, many research topics have caught my interest that can be best captured using the terms collaborative design and computational design. I am intrigued and driven by the opportunities that new technologies and media offer to create better designs and like to work on projects that cross creativity with information technology. Sometimes these are projects that aim to design innovation, other times the aim is to innovate design.

I really enjoy teaching - it's a pleasure to work with students who are eager to learn, seeing them develop and surprise you every time. I've never taught a class in which I didn't learn something significant myself.

"O professor que deixa de ser estudante deixa de ser professor."
 - Augusto Guimarães

I am Associate Professor in Computational Design at the University of Madeira, Portugal, and vice-president of the Madeira Interactive Technologies Institute. I lecture in the areas of computer-aided design and human-computer interaction and am director of the undergraduate course on Interactive Media Design. I also lecture in the Civil Engineering programme and the Master of Human-Computer Interaction. In 2007 I taught in the department of Art and Design, in areas of graphical and industrial design.

The Madeira Interactive Technologies Institute (Madeira-ITI) is a not-for-profit innovation institute of the University of Madeira, founded by the University of Madeira, Madeira Tecnopolo, and Carnegie Mellon University. The institute was created in December 2009 in order to provide a home for the many collaborations between these partners, in both research and education. The work of the institute mainly concentrates on innovation in the areas of computer science and human-computer interaction.

"He who thinks that knowledge is expensive, does not know the cost of stupidity."
 - Alexander Rinnooy Kan, Chairman of the Socio-Economical Council - 17 April, 2010.

My research interests are broad and have evolved over the years from design information modelling and design support systems, to collaborative design, participatory design, and web-supported design. My current interest is in design of communication: I believe that the integration of data technologies, the world-wide web, and telecommunication offers great potential for example in the innovation of our social networks, the way we communicate and inform ourselves. My interest is in creating interactive online communication platforms with appealing and functional interfaces that people will use intuitively to access integrated data resources and to participate in dynamic ways of communication.

In my previous position of Assoc.Prof. at Eindhoven University of Technology, I have established contacts with many national and international organisations that are active in the areas of my interest. In my curriculum you will find an overview of these activities. See the projects page for details about projects in which I am or was involved.

Over the years, I have published about my work mostly in scientific conferences and journals.

You can contact me by email to or