About
Arboratoreum® is an architecture studio that provides Architecture and Ecosystem design services informed by a deep study of nature, heritage and the geometry of every site. Dedicated to the creation of the places of our lives – our homes, our gardens, our dwellings – with rigor and openness to the expression of the sacred.
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founder
Within the spirit of universal learning, João Barroso is an architect, philosopher and polymath.
As an architect, he is trained at observing and integrating various complex systems and expertises into one coherent, simple and curated spatial synthesis, via conceptual expression and technical rigor.
For him, philosophically, practicing architecture is acting the role of a co-creator of the Garden we all live in.
João Barroso is trained in Architecture, Ecological Architecture, The European Tradition of Sacred Geometry, Chinese Tradition, Biophilic Design, Permaculture, Music.
As an architect, he is trained at observing and integrating various complex systems and expertises into one coherent, simple and curated spatial synthesis, via conceptual expression and technical rigor.
For him, philosophically, practicing architecture is acting the role of a co-creator of the Garden we all live in.
João Barroso is trained in Architecture, Ecological Architecture, The European Tradition of Sacred Geometry, Chinese Tradition, Biophilic Design, Permaculture, Music.
Integrated Ecological Architecture
practice
Arboratoreum® is a young architectural practice founded by João Tiago Blasques de Oliveira Barroso in Lisbon (Portugal, 2026), whose circle of action is the development of Architecture projects across multiple scales, approached as if ecosystem, building, garden, object and people are all elements of one continuum.
The practice provides Integrated ecological architecture and ecosystem design services informed by a deep study of nature and a thorough study of the geometry, heritage and characteristics of every site.
The scope of action also includes investigation and educational programs that aim at bringing a light to the way we Humans inhabit the living world, so that in both the outer ecosystems and our inner environments may be awakened the posture and the expression of a Living Sanctuary.
The practice provides Integrated ecological architecture and ecosystem design services informed by a deep study of nature and a thorough study of the geometry, heritage and characteristics of every site.
The scope of action also includes investigation and educational programs that aim at bringing a light to the way we Humans inhabit the living world, so that in both the outer ecosystems and our inner environments may be awakened the posture and the expression of a Living Sanctuary.
Scales of the practice:
· Landscape Scale · Urban Gardens & Habitats · Family Scale ·Institutional Scale
· Landscape Scale · Urban Gardens & Habitats · Family Scale ·Institutional Scale
Scope of work:
· Architecture & Ecosystems
· Research
· Advisory & Educational Programs
· Architecture & Ecosystems
· Research
· Advisory & Educational Programs
"Non nobis, Domine, non nobis, sed nomini tuo da gloriam"
message
The accelerating speed and escalating complexity of the world is changing the dynamics of human life at a pace no single person can fully comprehend. For architects operating today, that means they're operating locally in a globally interconnected world, where a one person's decision can affect another million's water supply five thousand kilometers away. And the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals are but a step, not the ladder that will guide us toward the Polis of justice and steadfast love.
Architects occupy a privileged position to observe and act connecting the points that make for the geometry of polis. To connect the many professionals, disciplines and talents necessary to transform the upscaling complexity of the systems we inhabit into the coherent, just and harmonious locus that serves both our families' happiness and wellbeing and the environment which they touch.
Architects must team up with biologists, environmentalists, engineers, scientists, politicians, entrepreneurs and clients and include all contributions into an integrated architecture practice. We are being asked to go back to nature, to observe it, to study it, and gather from it the wisdom that may inform our crafts. The craft of Architecture in particular, sets the foundations of the Oikos – our home – and then, crafting the Oikos according to Nature's footsteps is the way to integrate these complex Oikos systems – ecosystems – in harmony. In its essence, the craft of Architecture is no different from the co-creative footsteps that generate the Garden we already inhabit and inherently ought to discover.
Furthermore, some of the most meaningful places I have come to visit are informed by a dedication. For instance, a museum is traditionally a place dedicated (-eum) to the muses, protectors of the arts. What are the places of our lives dedicated to?
João Barroso
Founder | Arboratoreum
Ecological Architecture · Living Sanctuary · Human Programs
Architects occupy a privileged position to observe and act connecting the points that make for the geometry of polis. To connect the many professionals, disciplines and talents necessary to transform the upscaling complexity of the systems we inhabit into the coherent, just and harmonious locus that serves both our families' happiness and wellbeing and the environment which they touch.
Architects must team up with biologists, environmentalists, engineers, scientists, politicians, entrepreneurs and clients and include all contributions into an integrated architecture practice. We are being asked to go back to nature, to observe it, to study it, and gather from it the wisdom that may inform our crafts. The craft of Architecture in particular, sets the foundations of the Oikos – our home – and then, crafting the Oikos according to Nature's footsteps is the way to integrate these complex Oikos systems – ecosystems – in harmony. In its essence, the craft of Architecture is no different from the co-creative footsteps that generate the Garden we already inhabit and inherently ought to discover.
Furthermore, some of the most meaningful places I have come to visit are informed by a dedication. For instance, a museum is traditionally a place dedicated (-eum) to the muses, protectors of the arts. What are the places of our lives dedicated to?
João Barroso
Founder | Arboratoreum
Ecological Architecture · Living Sanctuary · Human Programs
“May our home be a garden. May the garden be our home.”