Jorge Humberto Canastra Marum is an architect (FAAULP, 2004), with a Master''s degree in Geographic Information Systems (UBI, 2007), a PhD in Architecture (DECA-UBI, 2012) with a thesis entitled Conception and Representation in Architectural Design: A Methodology for the Academic Project, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Photography and Urban Cultures from Goldsmiths, University of London (2017).
He is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering and Architecture of the University of Beira Interior (UBI), where he has been teaching for over 21 years. He coordinates the curricular units Design Studio II, Digital Architectural Design I and II (Integrated Master''s), the course Introduction to 3D Visualisation and Communication in Architecture, and the doctoral seminar Design and Building Seminar I. His pedagogical activity has been mainly focused on Design Studio over the past two decades.
His academic practice is deeply intertwined with both research and professional work, following an action-research methodology. He currently leads several competitively funded R&D projects with societal and territorial impact, actively involving students in real-life design processes. His recent work focuses on housing programs — both collective and single-family — with particular emphasis on construction systems, housing conditions, and social inclusion.
Two key projects stand out: (i) the ongoing urban rehabilitation project in the historic centre of Trancoso (currently under construction), which he has led since 2021. This project, developed within the 4th-year design studio, involves the transformation of a historic block into a City Museum, combining pedagogy, heritage research, and urban design. Its outcomes have been presented in academic conferences, exhibitions, and publications. And (ii) the social housing project in Fundão (also under construction), which he co-coordinates. Developed through an interinstitutional cooperation agreement (UBI-FAUP-CMF), it addresses the housing needs of refugee and migrant communities. Funded by the PRR/BNAUT programme, it incorporates collaborative design workshops and participatory processes involving the community and students, demonstrating the university’s engagement with contemporary societal challenges.
He has broad experience in public facilities and collective and single-family housing projects, in co-authorship with Maria Neto (NetoeMarum Arquitectos), Rogério Galante, having received awards and mentions in public competitions.
Between 2020 and 2023, he was the scientific coordinator and founding member of the CIAUD-UBI research Pole and is currently a collaborating researcher at CEAU-FAUP. He leads the research line Laboratory of Representation, Documentation and Spatial Analysis, and is involved in international networks such as Sophia Journal, where he served as peer reviewer and guest editor of Visual Spaces of Change (FAUP-UTSoA). He also participates in transnational projects such as Digital Stage (UVa). He is author and co-author of over 26 peer-reviewed publications and a regular speaker at national and international academic events.
He has supervised over 40 master’s dissertations and is currently supervising two PhD theses, one funded by the FCT. He acts as an evaluator for funding programmes by FCT, UNITA, Caixa Geral de Depósitos, Santander, and Erasmus+, and has served on academic juries at multiple institutions.
His teaching, research, and design work are grounded in a strong commitment to territory, housing, and construction, fostering university-society engagement through collaborative pedagogy and action-research methodologies.