PROJECTING

WORK OF ART

SINCE 1982

ABOUT US

Established in 1982, we are an engineering company focused in bridge and special structures design, having delivered over 500 projects all over the world, such as the 4th of April Bridge over the “Catumbela” river in Angola, the “S. Vicente” Bridge in Guinea Bissau and the Randselva Bridge in Norway.

Our history is entangled with the life of our founder.

Armando Rito has over 50 years’ experience in bridge design and has made exceptional contributions to the development of both structural concrete in the field of bridge design and Portuguese civil engineering, which features the “Arade” Bridge in Portimão, the “Miguel Torga” Bridge in Régua and the “Vila Pouca de Aguiar” Viaduct.

Our path holds no secrets.

To develop the best solutions for our clients along all these years, we bring together a strong investment in technological innovation and a professional and motivated team of experienced and highly qualified civil engineers and draftsman which have been equal to the challenges, serving all our clients, amongst which we are proud to have some of the most important institutions in the transport sector, both public and private.

For both new and existing structures, in relation to strengthening, rehabilitation or widening works, we like to be present throughout the whole project from the conceptual and design stages to its development and implementation, which comprehends the technical assistance during construction. This commitment made us the company we are today: a recognized leading company in structural design specialized in bridges, some of which have earned international awards.

ABOUT US

quem_somos
ARMANDO RITO ENGENHARIA develops engineering projects that are both efficient and functional and that are always guided by the search for innovative solutions of high social value. Developing cost-effective and durable solutions, whilst maintaining aesthetic quality and a deep respect for the environment, is of paramount importance. ARMANDO RITO ENGENHARIA has contributed to the prestige of engineering and bridge design both nationally and internationally. It has achieved this by successfully delivering a vast portfolio of cost-effective and efficient projects and design solutions under challenging conditions such as very tight deadlines, low project budgets and/or significant technical and site-specific constraints.

A abordagem da ARMANDO RITO ENGENHARIA caracteriza-se pelo rigor técnico das soluções encontradas, o respeito pelas regras deontológicas das diversas especialidades profissionais envolvidas, a estreita ligação com o Cliente e o acompanhamento do projecto até à sua execução.

A ARMANDO RITO ENGENHARIA é uma empresa de engenharia predominantemente vocacionada para a elaboração de estudos e projectos de Pontes e Estruturas Especiais, tendo já desenvolvido mais de 500 projectos dos mais diversos tipos de Obras de Arte.

Fundada em 1982 pelo Eng.º Armando Rito, que tem hoje mais de 40 anos de experiência em projectos de pontes, a experiência da ARMANDO RITO ENGENHARIA inclui diversos dos maiores projectos de obras de arte em Portugal das quais se destacam obras de grande dimensão e complexidade, como por exemplo a Ponte do Arade em Portimão, a Ponte Miguel Torga na Régua ou o Viaduto de Vila Pouca de Aguiar, tendo alguns inclusive merecido prémios internacionais. Da sua actividade no estrangeiro destacam-se a Ponte de S. Vicente na Guiné e a Ponte 4 de Abril sobre o rio Catumbela, em Angola.

A ARMANDO RITO ENGENHARIA conta com uma equipa profissional e motivada de engenheiros seniores altamente qualificados e com larga experiência, que lideram os diversos projectos apoiados num corpo técnico especializado constituído por engenheiros e desenhadores. A empresa conta ainda com a colaboração regular de diversos especialistas nos vários domínios complementares, tendo-se associado, em algumas situações, a destacadas empresas nacionais e estrangeiras como a EEG, a Campenon Bernard, a Trafalgar House, a JMI, a Eiffage e outras.

Entre os seus principais clientes distinguem-se as mais importantes instituições, públicas e privadas, ligadas ao sector das vias de comunicação.

Management Team

Armando Rito

Armando was born in Lisbon and graduated in Civil Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) of the Technical University of Lisbon in 1969. Before founding Armando Rito Engenharia in 1982, worked in bridge design with Professor Edgar Cardoso, of whom he was also an assistant professor on the bridges and specialized structures discipline at IST. He devoted his career mainly to bridge design, has introduced and developed a number of new concepts to structural design and was honoured with several national and international prizes, such as the merit medal of GPBE (Portuguese Group of Structural Concrete), the excellence award of the World Council of Civil Engineers, the Freyssinet medal or the Albert Caquot prize. During his career he lectured at various universities and was nominated as expert member for the European Committee of Normalisation Task Group 1.2 which wrote the 1st version of the Eurocode for concrete bridge design. Currently CEO of Armando Rito Engenharia, over 500 of his designs have been built to date, which include many large-scale bridges both in Portugal and in Africa. He dedicates his spare time to his passion for bridge design.Read more

PEDRO CABRAL

Pedro was born in Lisbon and studied Civil Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) of the Technical University of Lisbon, graduating in 1996. He started his career as a civil engineer at Armando Rito Engenharia working on a wide range of projects of diverse structural types and construction methods, which include the 4th of April bridge in Angola (Secil prize 2011). He has a high level of expertise in structural design and has been responsible for project management and technical assistance to construction work for several years. Since 2005 he has travelled widely to Angola, being responsible for the Angolan market. He became an executive partner in 2007. He had a brief experience teaching bridge design at the UCP and collaborates regularly with structural concrete professional associations. He is also an enthusiastic rugby player and coach and the father of a large family. Read more

ANA RITO

Ana was born in Lisbon where she studied forestry engineering at Istituto Superior de Agronomia of the Technical University of Lisbon (1997). In 1999 she earned her MSc in Geography from the University of Edinburgh. She has worked for 15 years in geographic information systems for a wide range of applications, from research projects on forestry engineering to the technical coordination of the Portuguese GIS team of a multinational engineering consultancy. Since she joined Armando Rito Engenharia in 2005, she has been responsible for the technical coordination of environmental assessment studies. She also took some postgraduation curses in business management and currently accumulates the technical functions with the general, financial and human resources management, becoming an executive partner in 2007. In her spare time, she likes to practice yoga and is an enthusiastic volunteer in the parent’s association of her children’s school. Read more

TIAGO VIEIRA

Tiago was born in Lisbon and earned both his graduate (2001) and master degrees (2009) in civil engineering from the Faculdade de Ciencias e Tecnologia (FCT) of the New University of Lisbon. He has always been fascinated by engineering and in particular bridge design and he believes that passion and professional dedication are the keys to success. Before joining Armando Rito Engenharia in 2010, he worked in the structural engineering department and the infrastructures project management department of Viaponte, where he supervised the construction of over 500 km of highways and 700 bridges. From 2006 to 2017 he also lectured at the civil engineering department of FCT. He started working at Armando Rito Engenharia as a bridge design project manager. He has an extensive experience in transportation and infrastructures and he’s currently leading the Scandinavian market and overseeing all the bridge design projects for that market. In 2019 he was promoted to executive partner. He dedicates his spare time to his family and enjoys photography and playing his guitar. Read more

OUR ADN

our collaborators

• OUR ADN •

our collaborators

2019
2010
2004
2007
2016
2012
2002
2008
2006

Randselva Bridge

Hønefoss | E16 Ringerike | NORWAY | 2022

Arade River Bridge

National Road 125 | Portimão | Portugal | 1991

Miguel Torga Bridge

A24 Motorway- Régua, Portugal | 1997

4th of April Bridge

Highway Benguela-Lobito | Angola | 2009

Best
BIM Project

The Tekla Global BIM Award distinguishes the project that achieves a “perfect combination of using technology in ground-breaking ways and having the courage to push the envelope in search of a smarter, more efficient design and construction process”. This internationally recognised prize in BIM technologies was awarded to Randselva Bridge in 2020.

Medaille
FIP

This award has been created by the fip (“Fédération Internationale de la Précontrainte”) currently fib (“Fédération International du Béton”). This international award was presented every 4 years in recognition of exceptional contributions in the field of structural concrete. This award was presented to Armando Rito in 1998 during the organization’s XIIIº Congress in recognition of works of excellence in the field of prestressed concrete.

Civil Engineering Prize

This award distinguishes works that excell for their conception or construction, for their internal value, innovation, social contribution and the respect for the environment. In 1998 the Miguel Torga Bridge over the Douro River, was presented this award for its innovation and technologic complexity. This project was selected amongst 90 engineering projects shortlisted from a total of 150 projects submitted by 13 Countries.

First Engineering Prize

This award distinguishes works, from Portuguese, Spanish and Latin American engineers, that excel for their conception or construction, for their internal value, innovation, social contribution and the respect for the environment. In 2000 the jury awarded the 1st prize in civil engineering to the “Vasco da Gama” Bridge which was designed by team of renowned engineers which included Armando Rito.

Prize
AFPC

First awarded in 1990 by AFPC (Association Française pour la Construction), currently AFGC (Association Française de Génie Civil), to distinguish engineers and researchers for exceptional technical or scientific contributions. This award was presented to Armando Rito in 1997.

Gold
Medal

The Gold Medal from the “Associação Portuguesa para a Segurança e Conservação de Pontes” was presented to Armando Rito in 2009, for his outstanding technical and design skills and overall high quality standard of work, with regards to the conception, design and rehabilitation of bridges.

Merit
Medal

The Merit Medal from the “Grupo Português de Betão Estrutural” was presented to Armando Rito in 2010, in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the development of structural concrete.

Secil
Prize

The Secil Prize aims to encourage and promote public recognition for the quality of Portuguese projects that make use of the material that is the core of Secil’s operations, cement. The award, recognized as a national reference, is presented alternately to the most significant project of Architecture or Civil Engineering and in 2011 was awarded to the 4th of April Bridge over the Catumbela River, in Angola.

Freyssinet
Medal

The Freyssinet Medal is awarded for outstanding technical contributions in the field of structural concrete. This international award is proposed by the Presidium and presented at the International Federation for Structural Concrete fib (“Fédération International du Béton”) Congresses every four years. In 2014 this award was conferred to Eng. Armando Rito.

Gold
Medal

The Gold Medal of the Portuguese Association of Engineers (Ordem dos Engenheiros) was presented to Eng. Armando Rito in 2014, in recognition of his exceptional merit which contributed to the development of engineering, the prestige of civil engineers and the public welfare.

Excellence
Award

The Medal of the World Council of Civil Engineers was granted to Eng. Armando Rito in 2014, in recognition of “his dense and fruitful career marked by perseverance, hard work, efficiency and entrepreneurship, who stands out as a very prominent figure in structural design”. This international award is presented biennially based on noteworthy contributions to the practice, theory or public status of civil engineering.

Albert Caquot
Prize

The Albert Caquot prize is awarded to an engineer with a significant career, recognizing his scientific and technical achievements and his projects, but also his moral qualities and international prestige. This honour was presented to Armando Rito in 2015.
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Mission Statement

ARMANDO RITO ENGENHARIA develops engineering projects that are both efficient and functional and that are always guided by the search for innovative solutions of high social value. Developing cost-effective and durable solutions, whilst maintaining aesthetic quality and a deep respect for the environment, is of paramount importance. ARMANDO RITO ENGENHARIA has contributed to the prestige of engineering and bridge design both nationally and internationally. It has achieved this by successfully delivering a vast portfolio of cost-effective and efficient projects and design solutions under challenging conditions such as very tight deadlines, low project budgets and/or significant technical and site-specific constraints.

Key to ARMANDO RITO ENGENHARIA’s approach to project delivery is excellent communication and client engagement, close project monitoring up to completion, technical rigor and a profound respect for the professional code of conduct of all disciplines involved in a project.

Our Policy

Armando Rito Engenharia’s policy aims at the following:

  • Develop design solutions that are efficient, innovative and durable, with hight technical rigor and the compliance with all applicable legal, regulatory and other requirements, thus ensuring client’s satisfaction.
  • Pursue a culture of enquiry, strengthen internal collaboration and share our knowledge, evolving all our people in our management system, providing opportunities for professional growth and to learn and giving attention to the needs of each of our people.
  • Seek to work with consultants and suppliers whose commitments and values are consistent with our own, building long-term trusted partnerships and considering them as part of the management system.
  • Design engineering solutions that improve the built environment, serving both the people and the planet.
  • Continually improve quality through our management system which is certified to ISO9001:2015.