Marcelo Rosenbaum speaks with vivacity and excitement, reflecting his undeniable passion for what he does. His approach to architecture is marked by a proactive stance, leading him to travel to the most remote interiors of Brazil, often voluntarily. There, he listens carefully to local demands and seeks to develop projects that go beyond simple buildings, becoming instruments of transformation for the local reality. One of his best-known projects is in Tocantins, the Children's Village on the Canuanã Farm, done in partnership with the Aleph Zero office, which has been recognized worldwide and won awards. On June 20, he closed the program of the AsBEA 2024 National Convention, whose theme was "Sustainable Roots," held in Florianópolis, Brazil. We had the chance to talk to him about his professional career and some of his recent work.
Eduardo Souza (ArchDaily): Can you tell us a little about your professional career and if there is a specific project or moment that you consider to be a turning point in your career?
Marcelo Rosenbaum: I believe that architecture is something that develops with maturity and the building of repertoires and knowledge. Although I didn't graduate in architecture, I studied until my final year; but I didn't complete the course because I started working too early. I'm 55 years old and I'm from ABC Paulista, a region marked by the fervor of the birth of the PT (the Brazilian Workers' Party, or Partido dos Trabalhadores in Portuguese) and the great strikes in the assembly plants led by Lula. My father was a lawyer and worked in the automakers, so my childhood was permeated by conversations about these issues. The ABC Paulista has always had an upwardly mobile middle class, made up mainly of workers in the automobile industry, many of whom became big businessmen. However, this emerging elite often didn't value or invest in education and culture, which was always a contradiction for me, as I saw a lack of information and understanding about the need for a better quality of life for everyone.
