Renowned Architect Nuno Portas Passes Away at 90 - A Legacy in Architecture and Politics

The architect Nuno Portas, father of Paulo and Miguel Portas, has died at the age of 90.

The news was announced this morning by his ex-wife and mother of the two politicians, writer Helena Sacadura Cabral, in a post on the social network Facebook.

Despite "having followed different paths for many years," the Portuguese journalist, writer, and economist - married to Nuno Portas between 1957 and 1968 - highlights "the gift" of being "parents to incredible people."

"At this moment, my heart is especially turned to the son I have left and to our grandchildren, who now face the pain of a profound loss," writes Helena Sacadura Cabral.

The writer concludes the post with the "wish" that Nuno Portas "finds peace, and that the memory of what was good remains alive in the hearts of those who loved him."

In addition to former minister Paulo Portas and the politician, economist, and journalist Miguel Portas - who passed away in 2012 - Nuno Portas was also the father of journalist and entrepreneur Catarina Portas, from a relationship with Margarida Sousa Lobo.

Born in Vila Viçosa, Nuno Portas studied at the Fine Arts schools in Lisbon and Porto, where he completed his degree in 1959.

Beyond architecture, urbanism, and teaching - he was a full professor at the University of Porto - Nuno Portas also ventured into politics, participating in the Provisional Governments after the 25th of April.

Throughout his career, the architect received several awards, including the Gulbenkian Prize for Art Criticism in 1963 for his texts published in the magazine Arquitetura, which he once directed, and the Sir Patrick Abercrombie Prize for Urbanism, by the International Union of Architects, in 2005.

The documentary collection of Nuno Portas is housed in the library named after him, at the School of Architecture, Art, and Design of the Universidade Nova, in Azurém, Guimarães.