He is Assistant Professor at the University of Porto, Faculty of Architecture (FAUP) (2001-), and was Coordinator and Professor of Advanced Studies in Architectural Design (EAPA 2014/15). He was assistant to Domingos Tavares and Pedro Ramalho, and teaches Project 4 (2001-).

Nuno Brandão Costa completed an internship with Herzog & de Meuron in Basel, Switzerland (1992-93) and collaborated with José Fernando Gonçalves & Paulo Providência in Porto, Portugal (1993-97). He began his own career after winning 1st prize in the international competition for the design of the Library for the Faculty of Human Sciences at the Universidade NOVA de Lisboa.

He studied architecture at FAUP (1994) and received his Doctorate in 2013. His work has been exhibited at the 8th International Exhibition of the Venice Biennale (2004), São Paulo Architecture Biennial (2005), Portugal Now at Cornell University, New York (2007), Tradition is Innovation in Tokyo (2011), Milan Architecture Triennale (2004 & 2014), and at the 2nd Biennial of Architecture Chicago (2017). He designed the main exhibition projects for the Lisbon Architecture Triennale (2007 & 2016).

Nuno Brandão Costa was nominated for the “Mies Van der Rohe” Award (2008), the BSI Swiss Architectural Award (2012), and FAD Award (2017). He was awarded the Expresso/SIC revelation and merit prize (2004), the Secil prize (2008) and the Vale da Gândara prize (2010/11). He was nominated, along with Sérgio Mah, as curator of the Portuguese official delegation to the 16th Venice Architecture Biennale (2018).