Biography: The Latest Architecture and News

Whether an apartment building, house, storefront, office interior, or restaurant, Glenn Sestig’s architecture consistently reveals itself in tidy fragments of robust and determinately monumental geometry that tends to evoke urban qualities. His austere facades, colonnades, stair landings, and even reception desks and shelf displays appear to be quite hefty and substantial. And, in fact, every project, be it a small boutique or gallery, starts with rigorous planning – visual primary and secondary axes get established, circulation flow is laid out, and major anchors are identified before the architect moves on to addressing the appropriate materials, surfaces, and details. Every space is architecture first; its program and appearance will fit into it.

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In the following interview with Paul Tange, the chairman and senior principal architect at Tange Associates in Tokyo, we discussed the relationship with his famous architect-father Kenzo Tange (1913-2005; the most influential architect in postwar Japan and the winner of the 1987 Pritzker Prize), the fate of the house Tange senior built for his first family, the decision of joining his father’s practice right after graduation from Harvard, sharing his father’s design principles, and the vision behind his first independent built work – a 50-story Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower in Tokyo, a vertical campus that can accommodate up to 10,000 students; the project won an international competition, in which 50 international architects participated.

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Headquartered in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, the architectural firm Arquitetos Associados presents a dynamic and varied way of dealing with each project. Based on a specific and specific work organization for each case, which allows for a varied team including external collaborators, the firm's way of working reflects on its unique projects.

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The hammock swaying on the balcony, the sunlight passing through the pierced elements in a dance of light and shadow, the vibrant color marking the spaces and bringing life, these are some of the characteristics present in the daily life of the works of the quartet that form Lins Arquitetos Associados.

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Nothing is more representative for an office than carrying the name of the country on its identity. Far from seeming banal, the architecture of Brazil in Brasil Arquitetura undergoes a thorough analysis that highlights aspects of Brazilian culture and society.

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Founded in 1997, the São Paulo architecture firm Andrade Morettin Arquitetos Associados began with a partnership between Vinicius Andrade and Marcelo Morettin, which later included the architects Marcelo Maia Rosa and Renata Andrulis. Today, the office has more than two decades of history and a wide range of activities.

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Technical precision combined with environmental concern and exploratory and investigative character make Carla Juaçaba one of the great representatives of Latin American architecture today. Carioca, born in 1976, Carla Juaçaba attended the University of Santa Úrsula and attributes much of her experimental and interdisciplinary style to this educational institution. It is not by chance that during her academic training her great inspiring masters were the architect Sergio Bernardes and the visual artist Lygia Pape, insinuating her interest in the multiple disciplinary branches that can compose architecture. In this sense, while still at graduation, Carla worked together with architect Gisela Magalhães, from Oscar Niemeyer’s generation, in scenography and expography projects.

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A call that comes from the cradle, creativity, the act of transforming ideas into materials, are some of the words to introduce Nitsche Arquitetos, which in its practice remains in a constant reinvention from the questions that are posed about space and life. Daughter and sons of artists Marcello Nitsche and Carmela Gross, siblings Lua Nitsche, Pedro Nitsche and João Nitsche founded the office that works on two fronts: architectural projects – headed by Lua and Pedro, architects trained at FAUUSP in 1996 and 2000, respectively – and works of art and visual communication – led by João, a visual artist who graduated from FAAP in 2002.

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Based in São Paulo, Atelier Marko Brajovic was founded in 2006 by architect Marko Brajovic. With a multidisciplinary practice, the idea of the hybrid manifests itself as the conceptual north of the office that operates on several fronts: architecture, scenography, expography, creative direction, interior and product design. With a vast language that explores different areas, formats and aesthetics, its projects are, above all, recognized for breaking with the modern canon and seeking solutions in nature.

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Each project can be a powerful context transformation tool. This is one of the conceptual bases of BLOCO Arquitetos, founded by Daniel Mangabeira, Henrique Coutinho and Matheus Seco. Based in Brasília, the Brazilian capital and a symbol of modern architecture worldwide, the office works at different scales and programs, and is characterized by its multidisciplinary work that encompasses initiatives to value Brazilian architectural culture and the profession itself.

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Founded by the architect and professor Angelo Bucci, spbr arquitetos works in different scales of construction of buildings with a distinct and particular language in its works. Its projects are the result of an intense exercise in architectural thinking, combined with the use of drawing as a tool for dialogue between architects and clients.

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Unusual materials, vibrant colors and daring compositions are some adjectives that can be applied when talking about Superlimão's work. It all started in 2002 when Antonio Carlos Figueira de Mello, Lula Gouveia, Thiago Rodrigues and former partner Sergio Cabral founded the firm, naming it in honor of the Super Lemon candy – “sour at the beginning and sweet at the end”. Since then, this hint of humor - present even in the name itself - permeates all of the team's creations, hinting at new experiences and arousing curiosity as well as the taste of the candy.

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With a production inspired by the legacy of Sérgio and Claudio Bernardes, from Rio, Bernardes Arquitetura is “fruit of a history that spans three generations with more than a thousand projects”. Created in 2012 by Thiago Bernardes, the office has over 7 partners and branches in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Lisbon.

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Intense integration between the built environment and its natural context: this is the premise that surrounds the projects of Jacobsen Arquitetura, from Rio de Janeiro. Founded 45 years ago, the office emerged from the union between architects Paulo Jacobsen and Cláudio Bernardes, who worked together until Bernardes' death in 2001. After that, Paulo joined forces with Thiago, Cláudio's son, starting a new office. The partnership with Thiago Bernardes fell apart in 2012, giving rise to the formation of Jacobsen Arquitetura, whose partners are Paulo and Bernardo Jacobsen (Paulo’s son) and Edgar Murata.

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Born in the corridors of FAU-USP, FGMF Arquitetos began as a wish of Lourenço Gimenes, Rodrigo Marcondes Ferraz and Fernando Forte, three young friends. It became a reality in 1999, when they formalized the office and began the award-winning career they have established.

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Valuing formal simplicity and delicate attention to details and finishing, Studio MK27 was founded in the late 1970s by Marcio Kogan and currently has more than 30 members based in São Paulo and other collaborators around the world. Its work, as described on its website, seeks to fulfill the task of rethinking and continuing Brazilian modernism.

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With over 20 years of experience, Studio Arthur Casas celebrates the entirety of architectural practice. The office works in different scales, from furniture to urban projects, passing through residences, apartments and buildings, maintaining stringency about the quality of details.

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Ms. Dalva's house in Vila Matilde has certainly helped put the four architects of Terra e Tuma, Danilo Terra, Pedro Tuma, Fernanda Sakano, and Juliana Terra, on the architectural spotlight worldwide. With simple and smart solutions, this project has already received six awards, both national and international. The office based in São Paulo, Brazil, has since managed to share their experiences by presenting a new way of designing good and affordable architecture for the underprivileged social classes. However, despite the great impact of this project, the office is not limited to just one type of client and solution, as can be seen in their extensive body of work developed over almost 15 years of practice.

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