Souto de Moura was born in Porto, and studied sculpture before switching to architecture at the School of Fine Arts of the University of Porto, the current FAUP – Faculdade de Arquitectura da Universidade do Porto, and receiving his degree in 1980. From 1974 to 1979 he worked with Álvaro Siza Vieira at his architectural practice, who encouraged him to start his own firm.

Souto de Moura began his career as an independent architect in 1980, after winning a design competition for the Casa das Artes, a cultural center with an auditorium and an exhibition gallery in the gardens of a neo-classical mansion, in his native city of Porto. However, Souto de Moura collaborated with Siza on the Portuguese pavilion at the Expo 2000 in Hanover, Germany, and Serpentine Gallery’s annual summer pavilion in 2004.

From 1981 to 1990, Souto de Moura was an assistant professor at his alma mater, and was later appointed Professor at the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Porto. He has been a visiting professor at the architectural schools of Geneva, Paris-Belleville, Harvard University, Dublin, ETH Zurich and Lausanne, and has participated in numerous seminars and given many lectures both in Portugal and abroad. His work has appeared in various publications and exhibitions.

He has been also awarded: The Pessoa prize in 1998; the António de Almeida Foundation prize; the Antero de Quental Foundation prize; first prize in the Competition for the Restoration of Giraldo Square in Évora, Portugal; first prize in the Competition for the CIAC Pavilions; first prize in the Competition for a Hotel in Salzburg, Austria; first prize in the “IN/ARCH 1990 for Sicily” Competition; the Secil Prize for Architecture; second prize in the “Architecture and Stone” ideas competition; honourable mention for his Miramar House in the Secil Architectural Prizes; honourable mention for both the SEC Cultural Centre and the Alcanena House in the National Architectural Prizes. On 14 July 2011, Souto de Mouro received an Honoris Causa doctorate by the Faculty of Architecture and Arts at the Lusíada University of Porto.

On 28 March 2011, it was announced that Moura is the 2011 Pritzker Prize winner, architecture’s highest honor. He is the second Portuguese architect to win the honor, after Álvaro Siza. The prize was supposed to be presented in April in Washington DC but the winner was prematurely leaked by a Spanish news organisation. The prize was awarded for his work including Estádio Municipal de Braga, the Burgo Tower in Porto and the Paula Rego Museum in Cascais. On 3 January 2012, it was announced Moura is the 2013 Wolf Prize in Arts winner along with Robert S. Langer.