Clara Pimenta do Vale (1967) is an architect graduated from the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto (1991), specialized in Building Physics and the History of Portuguese Construction in the 20th century. She holds a Master’s degree in Building Construction from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (1999), and a PhD in Architecture with the thesis "An Urban Alignment in the Construction of Porto – Boavista Axis (1927–1999): A Contribution to the History of Portuguese Construction in the 20th Century" (FAUP, 2012).

She is currently an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Architecture and a researcher at CEAU – Centre for Studies in Architecture and Urbanism, within the research groups: Heritage of Architecture, City and Territory (PACT) and the Digital Fabrication Laboratory (DFL). She served as a teaching assistant between 1999 and 2012, and worked as an independent architect from 1991 to 2004. She has participated in and coordinated several architectural, urban planning, and construction management projects.

As a photographer, she exhibits regularly. She is a member of the governing bodies of Architects Without Borders – Portugal (ASF-P), the Portuguese Society for Studies in Construction History, and the Portuguese Association for Urban Rehabilitation and Heritage Protection (APRUPP). She is also a member of other national and international organizations, including the Construction History Society and ICOMOS.

Research interests: Building Physics; Sustainability; 20th Century Construction History; Construction Legislation; Vernacular Architecture; Earthen Architecture; The Social Role of Architecture; Emerging Technologies in Building Construction; Rehabilitation and Reuse; E-learning and ICT.

She currently supervises 3 PhD theses and over 50 Master’s dissertations in Architecture (10 ongoing). She is co-author of four books and author or co-author of over fifty other publications.