Aires Mateus is an architectural agency located in Lisbon, Portugal; it was chosen to design the future Olivier Debré Centre of Contemporary Creation at an international contest.

Manuel Aires Mateus (born in Lisbon, 1963) and Francisco Aires Mateus (born in Lisbon, 1964) both studied at the Technical University of Lisbon (FA / UTL); they graduated in 1986 and 1987 respectively. After working together for several years along the architect Gonçalo Byrne, they opened their own Lisbon architecture agency, Aires Mateus e Associados, in 1988. Both professors at the Mendrisio Academy of Architecture since 2001 and the Autonomous University of Lisbon since 1998, they have taken part in numerous design seminars and masterclasses at Oslo School of Architecture in 2009, and Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design in 2002 and 2005.

The work of Aires Mateus ranges from small scale works such as the design of family homes - an area particularly close to their hearts, where their research is constant - to much bigger schemes, such as urban infrastructure projects. In the recent years, their work has been featured in several national and international publications, and contributes to the ongoing international debate on contemporary architecture.