Pestana Casino Studios

Pestana Casino Studios is part of one of Portugal’s most iconic architectural ensembles: the Casino da Madeira complex in Funchal, conceived by Oscar Niemeyer and inaugurated in 1966. It is the only testament to the Brazilian architect’s genius on Portuguese soil, rising on a cliff overlooking the port of Funchal and surrounded by extensive tropical gardens.

For this project, I devoted myself entirely to exterior architectural photography, with a particular emphasis on the pool area. The hotel’s outdoor pool — framed by the wooden deck, Madeira’s subtropical vegetation and the building’s modernist volumes — became the narrative core of my series. In every frame, I sought to translate the dialogue between water, the natural Atlantic light and the curved lines that define Niemeyer’s work.

I documented the façades, the terrace, the landscaping and the approach views that reveal the relationship between guest and outdoor space. The result is a body of images that celebrates the serenity of the leisure area and the sculptural presence of the architecture, reinforcing Pestana Casino Studios as a landmark address in Funchal.