Windows are a vital part of any building – they help activate a space and bring it to life. Portuguese photographer Andr Vicente Goncalves pays tribute to this architectural element in his ongoing series called Windows of the World. In it, he documents a variety of colorful exteriors, sills, shutters, and shapes, grouping individual images into large grids according to their location.
Through Goncalves’ project, it’s clear that there’s no shortage of unique facades. Some window frames are fairly standard as white rectangular shapes, but they punctuate gorgeous, repeat-pattern tiles. This makes a bold statement against the busy backgrounds. Other frames don bright colors and visually pop from the neutral bricks and stone. Whatever their style may be, it’s a fantastic way to marvel at the creativity of the everyday window.
“I always had a curiosity about windows,” Goncalves writes, “like the structure of houses, they change region to region.” The photographer later compiled the thousands of pictures he had taken and Windows of the World was born. “[It’s] a big evolution from the earliest windows that were only a hole in the wall.”
Above: Burano, Italy
Porto, Portugal
Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon, Portugal
Ericeira, Portugal
Albufeira, Portugal
Sesimbra, Portugal
The Alps
vora, Portugal
Trento, Italy
Venice, Italy