Gonçalo Byrne (Alcobaça, 1941) is an architect graduated from the School of Fine Arts of Lisbon holding an Honorary Degree from the Faculty of Architecture of the Technical University of Lisbon and from the Faculty of Architecture of Alghero, in Italy. In 1975, he established his own practice and, in 1991, he founded the studio Gonçalo Byrne Arquitectos.
Since 1970, he is a member of the Portuguese Architects Association (n.º 520), and since 2008, a member of the Italian Province of Vicenza Architects Association (n.º 2077). He was part of the Portuguese Board of the U.I.A. and a delegate of the World Assembly and Congress of this same organization. Between 1985 and 1987, he was director of Jornal Arquitectos (the journal published by the Portuguese Architects Association).
Byrne has been teaching at several international universities including Lausanne, Harvard, Venice, Mendrisio, Leuven, Pamplona, Milan, Kansas State University, among others. He is often a jury member in many design competitions and accolades, such as for example for the Mies van der Rohe Award (year 2017), the Vasco Vilalva Award attributed by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the Swiss Architectural Award – BSI Architectural Foundation (for which he is a permanent member of the consulting board), the Juana de Vega Award (La Coruña), among others.
His studio is a reference in the Portuguese architectural context as a “second” school for many of his collaborators who, after leaving the studio and establishing their own practices, often become co-authors of several works with Gonçalo Byrne.