Leça do Balio Monasterium

An immersive and interactive Virtual Tour of the Leça do Balio Monastery and the Temple & Garden project developed with the participation of renowned architects Álvaro Siza Vieira and Sidónio Pardal.

My contributions focused on the visual and interaction design of the entire experience, bringing both the historical and architectural layers of the experience to life in a digital format.

The challenge was to build a digital experience that felt both educational and experiential. Almost like walking through the site in real life.

Our approach focused on storytelling through design, using visual assets and interactions to guide users through both past and future visions of the site.

We illustrated the tour map inspired by Álvaro Siza Vieira’s signature sketch style, crafted custom iconography aligned with the Monastery’s visual identity, and created sound samples to enrich the atmosphere and interactivity effects. The result was a digital experience that blends story with navigation, closing the tour with a quiz to reinforce discovery and learning.

The final tour offered a seamless blend of heritage and modern design, creating an engaging space to explore the Monastery’s history and future transformation.

Combining architecture, history, and interaction requires every design choice to serve the narrative without distracting from it.

And, for the cherry on top, we see this artwork featured in the Monasterium project presentation by Evasões.