The Center for Studies in Architecture and Urbanism was established in 1994 and statutorily comprised the R&D Center of Architecture School of the University of Porto, integrating a Research & Development Unit funded and assessed by the Foundation of Science and Technology.
CEAU includes 177 researchers, 82 Integrated Researchers (Ph.D.), 34 Integrated Researchers (non-Ph.D.), and 62 Collaborator Researchers. Most non-doctoral members attend the Doctoral Programme in Architecture at FAUP, developing their thesis in connection with the CEAU’s ongoing research projects.
CEAU is also deeply committed to developing international relations, participating in several university and cooperation networks. Following this policy, CEAU hosts postdoc fellows and Ph.D. students from different international institutions, mainly from European and South American countries, for varying lengths. Although Architecture remains the main disciplinary area, CEAU also includes researchers from other fields such as Anthropology, Archaeology, Economics, Engineering, Geography, History, and Sociology, among its integrated and associate members.
To develop its activity, CEAU is structured into seven research groups, namely:
- Architecture: Theory, Project and History (ATPH)
- Architecture, Art and Image (AAI)
- Architecture and modes of inhabiting (AMH)
- Housing architectural design and forms of dwelling (AdC)
- Digital Fabrication Laboratory (DFL)
- Territory Dynamics and Morphologies (MDT)
- Architecture, City and Territory Heritage (PACT)
- Theory and Project Practices (T2P)
CEAU research activity has been supported by the Foundation of Science and Technology funding projects and contracts established with other public and private institutions.
Besides books publication, papers in journals and conferences, etc., the research activity of the Center also includes the organization of national and international workshops, seminars, conferences, and other scientific events, to disseminate the results of the work developed at CEAU.