He graduated in Architecture at the Technical University of Lisbon in 1987.
After several years of collaboration with the architect Gonçalo Byrne, in 1988 he opened a studio with his brother Manuel Aires Mateus.
Professor at the Accademia di Architectura, Mendrízio, Switzerland, since 2001, professor at the Universidade Autónoma in Lisbon since 1998, having also lectured as visiting professor at IE Universidad, Segovia 2012, at the Oslo School of Architecture in 2009 and at the Graduate School of Design, Harvard University, USA 2005.