Sines Center for the Arts, Located in Portugal, was completed by Manuel Aires Mateus. The building is situated at the start of the main street linking the town to the sea and marking the traditional entrance to the historic nucleus. The Centre subsumes diverse activities capable of generating an exceptional building: exhibition rooms, a library, cinema-cum-theatre and a documentation centre. 

The building stands at the entrance to the city’s historical centre, on the street that runs down to the sea. From this privileged location, it plays a decisive role within the urban context: on the one hand, it enhances the articulation between buildings from different periods; on the other, it skirts and encompasses the public space in its interior. The building is part of and gateway to the city.

The centre, whose exterior is clad in stone, is massive in appearance, although at street level it is entirely transparent, thereby interrelating all aspects of culture with the everyday life of Sines. The construction, of both structural and spatial complexity, reflects its social and cultural ambitions, revealing itself progressively and on occasions astonishingly to visitors as they walk around inside. 

The building is arranged to take maximum advantage of the possible relationships between the different artistic, cultural and leisure activities that take place inside. The art building serves as a hub for people's activities and provides access to the four modules that make up the complex. The four modules are set out on the upper floors in parallel bands intercalated with patios. From east to west, they accommodate the four-storey art school; the multifunctional cinema, theatre and experimental hall space; the library, with its terrace and sea view; and the exhibitions nucleus.