ABOUT US
Hi, my name´s Miguel. I am the founder and Principal Architect at Gummavitta. I am an architect, a lecturer and a project manager. I grew up loving to draw and developed an interest in art and architecture from an early age. My professional career as an architect and project manager, has developed across various sectors and geographies over the past twenty years, allowing me to hone my creative design talents.
I have successfully delivered award-winning projects such as the 57 Promenade in Jakarta, the Trump Tower in Manila, Shellharbour Stockland in Australia and the Crown of Miami for Royal Caribbean, the world’s largest cruise ship terminal.
Miguel Sousa
MANAGING DIRECTOR
miguel@gummavitta.com +351 919323326
Working on such a diverse range of projects has instilled my spirit of ingenuity and the skills needed to ensure project success, from initial design conceptualization to the final monitoring of project implementation and construction.
My professional career has allowed me to work on world-class design projects providing me with valuable insight to the industry and catalyzing the inspiration behind the founding of my own company. In 2020, I incorporated Gummavitta, an agile design studio that engages clients with a sense of pure design passion with a drive to design responsibly for a better world.
PROJECT-CENTRIC
DESIGN TEAM
The best design is achieved through the combination of several brilliant minds, challenging eachother to seek further in the pursuit of the best possible concept and layout. Gummavitta is founded on this principle of bespoke customization: to create a project-specific team composed of the very best experts with experience in the relevant sector to reach that project's full potential. I have surrounded myself with the very best designers that I´ve worked with during my international career. We all live in different parts of the world, and come together to compliment eachother as needed on a project-to-project basis, using sottware tools that maximize our efficiency and creative interaction.
Traditional studios assign designers based on availability, not expertise.
We are a network of specialized freelancers, offering a superb range of design expertize, with relevant experience in every sector.
Raphael Villanueva
Architecture, Interiors
Detail design expert
Miguel Sousa
Architecture, Interiors
Team coordinator
Zaana Hall
Architecture, Urban design
Strategy expert
Marcin Skolimowski
Architecture, Interiors
Architectural design expert
Mauro Moro
Architecture, Urban design
Concept design expert
Daniel Gutierrez
Architecture, Landscape
Detail design expert
Tiago Rosado
Interiors, Experience
Experience design expert
Jochum Ledgister
Architecture, Urban design
Project delivery expert
Catarina Clemente
Interiors, Refurbishment
Detail design expert
Carla Alfarrobinha
Architecture
Regulation specialist
Mauro Moro
ARCHITECT
Concept design expert
Marcin Skolimowski
ARCHITECT
Architectural design expert
Mauro and I have been working together since 2003. He is one of the most creative thinkers I have ever met and an architect with a broad sense of social empowerment through the built environment. We have done countless projects together in Europe and Asia. In his words:
I am an architect, urban sketcher, design leader and published author. Each of these roles stems from my prolific creativity, which sits at the heart of my life as a designer.
I am never content to sit and live with what is, I am a creator and always on the move to be part of the act of creation. As an architect, I have diverse experience from working in the design industry all over the world.
This in-depth knowledge has given me some insight into a wide variety of topics and this coupled with a strong desire to create led to a new journey.
I have maturated my competency by working as a design leader for studios like Hassell and Woods-Bagot, where I learned the importance and relevance of the Design Process. This experience taught me that creativity only is not enough. You must endurance it with discipline and method. Great ideas never come like that: they come by the perfect collaboration of intuition, experience, teamwork and methodology.
My mission is not limited to help you to achieve your goal. To hit your target. Instead, it is to get beyond it. It is to provide you with the best solution. My mission is a constant pursuit of the best design.
Marcin is a founder and creative director of Studio MASK, an interdisciplinary practice engaged in a wide range of projects from architecture, interior design to furniture and product design. I met him when we worked together in Singapore. We have combined for some of the best projects I was involved in. He's methodical, detailed and has a wonderfully elegant sense of style.
Marcin has started his design journey at the Technical University of Gdańsk. While studying, Marcin spent 6 months as an intern in New York's prestigious architectural practice of Peter Eisenman. Upon return to Poland in 2004 he received a Master’s degree in Architecture and Masterplanning. After his graduation he moved to London where he worked on a wide range of projects located globally in international practices (ARUP Associates, Woolf Architects, Stride Treglown and BCI Design). In 2011 Marcin moved to Singapore to further his career and design complex, large scale mixed-use developments in the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, China and Singapore. His greatest achievement of this period was to win an international competition to design Royal Caribbean's new Terminal in Miami against such practices like Zaha Hadid Architects and Bjarke Ingels Group. After delivering this project Marcin decided to move back to Poland and open his own studio to continue his architectural adventure in Warsaw.
Jochum Ledgister
URBAN DESIGN
Retail design expert
Jochum was my first project manager and became a mentor throughout my career. His strong communication skills and the ability to bridge between all corners of a project and interface between client and every other stakeholder was immensely influential in my own career development. In his words:
“In my previous role with Broadway Malyan I worked in four offices around the world. One noteworthy project engagement was with IKEA as consultant design director on 8 of their projects, 5 of which are part of the new direction for the IKEA Retail business. Another key project I enjoyed immensely while also based in Shanghai was the Shiu Lu Pu power station renovation. This was a very richly contextual project located as it is on the Huang Pu river and forming an integral part of the development history of Shanghai, and China’s industrialization.
The 7point8 project in Jakarta was another important milestone for me. This was a high profile project both in terms of its prime location in the Jakarta CBD and also because the project represents a renaissance for the client’s brand. My first major challenge was delivery of Forum Coimbra in Portugal; a multi-award winning large retail scheme. This project which i led over a 3 year period was noteworthy in its use of high-quality materials and a real attention to the details, and this experience served me well throughout my career. I have come to frame my view of the design discourse through a narrative-led process for functional, well detailed, and pleasing places for people; achieved through well managed projects”.
Tiago Rosado
INTERIORS
Exhibition design expert
Tiago is an architect and designer working with flexible and temporary occupation of spaces. He can transform places like hallways or lobbies into memorable and meaningful experiences connected to the client's vision through the power of narrative, art and beautiful Instagram-able moments.
His work brought him to places like Barcelona Light Festival, Stedelijk Contemporary Art museum and National Photography Museum, both in The Netherlands. Tiago has designed, produced or curated several travelling exhibitions for Canada, Spain, Greece, Holland, Honduras, Guatemala and Indonesia.
"Working together with many curators and artists allowed me to see the potential of well-crafted spaces as a transformative experience to visitors. What we design should be flexible to elegantly respond to ever-changing scenarios. I am bringing my expertise from the cultural sector to business and commercial spaces."
Before all this Tiago worked as an Architect with Master Studies in History and Ephemeral Architecture, founded a media production company AWAREmedia that was focused on producing media content for clients like Deloitte and Vodafone
Carla Alfarrobinha
ARCHITECT
Regulation & submission process specialist
Carla and I met in high school, and attended university together. Our professionals paths crossed again in recent years as we collaborated in the design process of several projects in the south of Portugal.
Carlas has had 15 years of experience in the Silves planning department. She's attained significant experience in regulations and the submission process. She currenlty designs and manages several projects in Portugal's Algarve region. Carla is very thorough and methodical, ensuring the process is runs smoothly and receives a timely approval.
Catarina Clemente
INTERIORS
Conservation expert
I met Catarina in University. As the years passed our paths were parallel, from Venice to Singapore, where we have worked together as architects at Broadway Malyan and also as lecturers at Temasek Polytechnic. All along this path, I recognized in her a great ability to translate complex design ideas into practical construction solutions. Beyond that, a wonderful team spirit, enabeling her to motivate colleagues and students alike.
She´s also highly skilled in Heritage Conservation, Adaptive Reuse, Interior Design, Construction and Design Detailing, with a Master of Science in Contemporary Architecture (MSc.Arch.) focused in Conservation of Industrial Heritage from I.S.C.T.E. - Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa.
Daniel Gutierrez
ARCHITECT
Detail design expert
Experienced and highly capable Architectural Designer with more than 13 years of working experience in the architectural and multi-disciplinary environment for infrastructure and building projects. Handled projects from various sectors such as hospitality, residential, education and has worked on mixed-use and complex development projects. In his words:
"I pride myself in my solid track record for fast and high efficiency in AutoCAD while maintaining accurate attention to details and remarkable time management led to achieve meeting deadlines. I'm committed, dependable and has strong work ethics. With these qualities, I am ready to fulfill a position that will allow me to impart my knowledge, skills and competence particularly in delivering service required in modern architecture and in spurring growth and development in business and industry".
Zaana Hall
SOCIOLOGIST
Strategist & Chief editor
Zaana is one of the most brilliant minds I have encountered in the field of Sociology and Human Behaviour. She has a diverse background in social sciences and a Masters in Public Policy, with a focus on Environmental Policy.
She´s a forward-thinking professional who offers diverse experience in strategic program development, relationship management, humanitarian action, and public policy.
She´s been central to Capitaland´s new Sustainability masterplan. Her contributions at Gummavitta in the field of Strategy and Human interaction are a difference maker in our ability to focus on what the opportunities are for our clients.
Raphael Villanueva
ARCHITECT
Detail design expert
Raphael and I have worked together for many years. This has been a very successful combination, due to his excellent technical knowledge and craftsmanship. Examples include several projects in Indonesia and the Philippines, mainly JP Morgan´s Manila headquarters for Megaworld and 57 Promenade in Jakarta for Intiland.
He´s always highly committed and his skill allows us to move at a faster, more efficient pace. I am very particular about the quality of our architectural drawings. Raphael helps us guarantee the highest standards. Managing Raphael´s work was superbly satisfying. He´s vital to our success.
Hendriko Teguh
ARCHITECT
Technical expert
Dito worked under my guidance as an intern. His creativity and drive were impressive, which led him to work at SOM in Chicago. Dito likes to design the unconventional. In his words:
Self-motivated architectural graduate with a massive interest in creative out-of-the-box designs that brings humans together through design. Seen by colleagues as a passionate team player and a creative thinker, I always
strive to exceed expectations by constantly seeking new ideas, and learning from others as I have done previously at local and global multidisciplinary practices.
Bruno Ribeiro
ARCHITECT
Project manager
Bruno is a versatile designer with 20 years of experience in architectural design and project management. He is able to lead a design from concept to construction documentation. His design approach always includes great attention to detail and that is visible in the subtle and sophisticated touches found in every built space that he has designed. He has extensive experience in Education and Residential design, with several built projects in Portugal and Northern Africa.
Bruno is a very talented project manager, able to lead teams and create the most positive and productive relationship with the client and other stakeholders. His thoughtful and thorough personality make him a great designer to work with.
