Brasil Arquitetura was established in São Paulo in 1979, following the creation of Atelier Vila Madalena in 1978. The practice is led by founding partners Francisco Fanucci and Marcelo Ferraz, both graduates of the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of São Paulo (FAU-USP). Francisco Fanucci (Cambuí, Minas Gerais, 1952) graduated from FAU-USP in 1977 and has taught at Escola da Cidade since its foundation in 2002. Marcelo Ferraz (Carmo de Minas, Minas Gerais, 1955) graduated from FAU-USP in 1978. He collaborated with Lina Bo Bardi from 1977 to 1992 and directed the Instituto Lina Bo e P. M. Bardi from 1992 to 2001.
The practice carries out architectural, urban planning, restoration and industrial design projects for a wide range of programmes, including residences and residential complexes, shops, restaurants, industrial buildings, and facilities for leisure, public and institutional use.
Its work seeks an architecture attentive to “roots and antennae”: an architecture created from a deep connection with the cultural foundations of each place, while remaining attentive to the present and looking towards the future. Throughout its trajectory, the practice has worked with numerous partners and collaborators and developed award-winning projects in Brazil and abroad, including the Yellow Quarter in Berlin, Germany; the Rodin Bahia Museum, in Salvador, Bahia; the Bread Museum, in Ilópolis, Rio Grande do Sul; Villa Isabella, Finland; and Praça das Artes in São Paulo.
