The Arquicast Interview series aims both to showcase the work of architectural practices from different regions of Brazil and to shed new light on established architects. Through casual conversations about daily professional life, behind-the-scenes insights, and stories behind their projects, it explores the personal experiences that have shaped their worldviews.

In this episode, the team speaks with Francisco Spadoni, from Spadoni & Associados Arquitetura. Founded in 1996 upon his return from Paris after working with Kenzo Tange, the firm is led by Spadoni and Tiago de Oliveira Andrade. The practice regularly participates in architectural competitions in Brazil and abroad, earning recognition in several of them. Their projects are characterized by confronting challenges and complexities across multiple scales, always from a reflective and critical standpoint.

João Filgueiras Lima was a Rio de Janeiro-born architect trained at the National Faculty of Architecture. His name, however, evokes a body of work and imagery that has long transcended the city's boundaries and iconic landscapes. Lelé, as he became internationally known, carved out a unique path within the profession, establishing a presence across several Brazilian capitals. He left behind an impressive architectural legacy manifested in public and private buildings, technical innovations in production processes, and a consistently humanized approach to the act of construction.

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Marcelo Ferraz, founding partner—alongside Francisco Fanucci—of Brasil Arquitetura, an office that has garnered numerous national and international awards in recognition of projects that are deeply sensitive to their site, yet essentially contemporary, is this week's guest on Arquicast.

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Architecture is a discipline that connects diverse fields and practices, manifesting in the physical and theoretical conceptualization of strategies for intervening in the human environment. This spatial intervention involves applying artistic, social, and technological knowledge which, when combined, inevitably reflect a given culture or dominant ideology. In this sense, architecture is also an image that conveys meaning. 

The relationship between architecture and cinema is a recurring theme on Arquicast. These are two distinct art forms with different purposes, yet they complement and influence one another through shared attributes—such as tapping into collective memory, valuing the image as a visual language, and evoking emotions and sensations in users and viewers alike. The podcast team is so passionate about discussing cinema that they created a dedicated series on the topic, with a dozen episodes already produced.

Since 1895, the Venice Architecture Biennale has taken place across various venues in the Italian city, bringing together the most representative examples of architectural production from around the globe. What is commonly known as the Venice Architecture Biennale is, in fact, the international architecture exhibition that forms part of a broader group of multidisciplinary showcases. As both an institution and an event, the Venice Biennale involves the simultaneous organization and promotion of international festivals and exhibitions spanning art, cinema, contemporary dance, and theater. 

The winner of the top awards at the 2021 Oscars is the subject of the latest episode on architecture and cinema from Arquicast. Nomadland, directed by Chinese-born, US-based filmmaker Chloé Zhao, portrays the life of a woman who, after losing her husband and her financial stability, moves into a van, traversing the American West and adopting a lifestyle described as nomadic. The film depicts the reality of people who, for various reasons, find themselves in this situation, prompting us to reflect on what it means to belong to a place, the definition of dwelling today, and the emotional connections we forge with the cities and landscapes we experience. Joining us to discuss these issues is Romullo Baratto, who holds a master's degree in architecture and cinema from FAU-USP and serves as the Editorial Manager of ArchDaily.

The Arquicast Interview series welcomes another major firm to the conversation. Led by three architects, all alumni of the University of Brasília (UnB)—Daniel Mangabeira, Henrique Coutinho, and Matheus Seco—Bloco Arquitetos is based in Brasília, one of the country's most iconic and challenging cities. Working across various scales and programs, the firm is characterized by a multidisciplinary approach. In addition to their architectural commissions, they coordinate several initiatives aimed at promoting Brazilian architectural culture and the profession itself. Partners Henrique Coutinho and Matheus Seco join us to discuss this work dynamic.

Arquicast has shared with us a recent interview with one of the most important Brazilian architects of her generation, whose work perfectly exemplifies the diverse responsibilities that architects can assume in their contribution to society. Maria Josefina de Vasconcellos, better known as Jô Vasconcellos, shares a bit of her history and her plans for the future.

In this episode, Arquicast crosses the Atlantic to dive into our Lusitanian roots. The relationship between Portuguese and Brazilian architecture is a subject of constant theoretical reflection and has long guided key design practices, such as those undertaken by Lucio Costa in the early days of the Modern Movement in Brazil, when seeking a national architectural language that was innovative yet coherent with its origins.

Today, in an era of cultural globalization and the intense flow of knowledge, we know that the dialogue between Brazil and Portugal extends far beyond architecture, also reflecting in an ecosystemic approach to the landscape and a humanized vision of the territory. There is still much to learn together, and there is no better way to learn than through dialogue. 

This week's episode of Arquicast discusses the skills and abilities developed during the education of architects and urban planners that can be applied to professional pursuits extending beyond the traditional scope of architecture. Divided into three categories, the 21 careers featured in Ariana Zilliacus's article for ArchDaily demonstrate the wide range of options available to architects, offering a viable alternative to bypass market competition.

In this episode of the Perfil do Arquicast series, which reflects on the lives and works of established figures in architecture and urbanism, the team discusses a Brazilian architect who, in her own words, "invented a profession" in which she became a global reference. Through her courageous and engaged stance, she went far beyond her professional duties to make an invaluable contribution to elevating an entire class of architects dedicated to studying and shaping the Brazilian landscape. We are talking about the grand dame of Brazilian landscape architecture, architect and landscape architect Rosa Grena Kliass.

One of the topics most requested by Arquicast listeners is architecture and interior design. In this episode, the team features the perspectives of two prominent professionals who are part of the complex production network shaping interior design, exploring the challenges and potential of the project's various stages. The guests are Silvana Carminatti, an interior designer with a degree from the Belas Artes University of São Paulo, specializing in business management and leadership, and current president of the ABD (Brazilian Association of Interior Designers); and Christie Silva Schulka, an advertising graduate with an MBA in marketing from FGV and a specialist in neuroscience with an emphasis on digital neuromarketing from UP, who currently serves as marketing director for Roca Brasil Cerâmica.

In this episode of Arquicast, the conversation revolves around a film that, despite being set in the only project by Le Corbusier actually built in Latin America, centers its plot on an architectural element that is, shall we say, almost secondary from the work's compositional standpoint: the back boundary wall. We are talking about the award-winning Argentine film The Man Next Door (El hombre de al lado). Neighborly relations and architecture itself serve as the starting point for the directors to address thorny issues such as property rights, social inequality, culture, and intolerance. 

Founded in 2004 by then-architecture students Carlos Maia, Débora Vieira Mendes, and Igor Macedo, Tetro Arquitetura boasts a portfolio that spans projects across much of Brazil, yet maintains a remarkably cohesive approach. In the view of some architectural critics, the formal and conceptual identity defining the firm's work is driven in part by the influence of the Brazilian modernist tradition. But is this actually the case? This and other questions are explored in this casual conversation with the unconventional trio from Minas Gerais.

Arquicast invited architect Matheus Seco, a Rio de Janeiro native from Bloco Arquitetos, to discuss Brasília, their home for several years. The topic is particularly compelling: not only is the city's history intrinsically linked to the image of a nation, but it also offers a vast archive of exceptionally high-quality photographs, maps, floor plans, and other iconographic records.

A new episode of the Arquicast Interview is now live, this time featuring Bacco Arquitetos Associados. Operating for 25 years, the firm defines itself as a multidisciplinary practice that seeks to balance its business operations with a studio atmosphere, fostering an environment rich in discussion and critical reflection. Their portfolio spans a diverse range of typologies, from logistics hubs to residential and industrial buildings.

Taking the opportunity of our participation in the 9th Architecture and Urbanism Week of the Architecture and Urbanism program at the Centro de Ensino Superior de Juiz de Fora (CES/JF), we at Arquicast recorded this biweekly episode based on the event's theme: Scales and Places. Held in May, the week-long event was organized by the program's students and featured a series of lectures and activities, including this special episode. We address the relationships regarding the importance of scale and place in design education and practice across their various dimensions. Our guest was architect and professor Frederico Halfeld, who shared his experience as an educator alongside other insights on the topic.