Renowned Brazilian architect, Chief Designer of the Brazil Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo, IAI Global Design Award jury member, and APDF-Asia Pacific Designers Federation International Council member, Fernando Brandão, recently held an exhibition titled "Fernando Brandão, Architecture is Belonging" at the Clube Athletico Paulistano in São Paulo, paying homage to his glorious four-decade design career.

As the only Brazilian architect with an office established in China, Brandão's work spans Brazil and China, encompassing over 1000 design projects. His architectural language is deeply rooted in humanistic care and sustainability, consistently advocating the philosophy that "architecture is belonging."

01 Exhibition Core: A Selection of Emotion and Concept

Curated by Roberto Loeb and Patrícia Piza Fontes, this exhibition carefully selected representative works from Fernando Brandão's career from emotional and conceptual perspectives. The exhibits include famous restaurants, public schools, cultural centers, and international pavilions designed throughout his career, including his most well-known project, the Brazil Pavilion for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo.

The exhibition seeks to convey the architect's elegance and emotion, his skill in integrating function and design in creative ways, and his consistent adherence to a core idea: architecture is a gesture of welcome, a symbol of rooting and connection.

02 Fernando Brandão's Architectural Philosophy: Listening and Empathy

Born in São Paulo, Brazil, Brandão graduated from the Universidade Santa Cecília (USC) in Santos in 1985. He has not only achieved remarkable success in practice but has also given numerous lectures at universities and educational institutions.

In his architectural designs, he skillfully integrates industrial design, embedding green concepts throughout the entire process of housing design, construction, and use. His architectural philosophy rests on five pillars: sustainability, environmental protection, consideration for the needs of special groups, emphasis on architectural 'identity' and humanistic concepts, and connecting people and buildings through design.

The core of Brandão's architectural philosophy is a "posture of listening." He believes every building should become a destination where people can live, learn, share, and dream.

"What truly endures are not the bricks and walls, but the stories that happen within them: sounds, footsteps, memories, and emotions," Brandão emphasized when explaining his philosophy.

In his design for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo Brazil Pavilion, he did not deliberately showcase Brazil's strongest aspects. Instead, he fostered empathy with Chinese visitors by displaying the daily lives of four ordinary Brazilians, allowing people to see that those on the other side of the world also go to work, return home, and care for their children, thereby bridging the sense of distance.

03 Representative Works: Humanistic Spaces Beyond Bricks and Mortar

Brandão's works consistently explore the deep relationship between space and people.

Shanghai World Expo Brazil Pavilion (2010): Ranked among the "Top Five Most Popular Pavilions" of that World Expo. Its uniqueness lies not only in its green, bird's-nest-like appearance but also in the empathy embedded within its design. Inside the pavilion, four large screens displayed the daily lives of ordinary Brazilians, closing the psychological distance with Chinese audiences.

Livraria Cultura Bookstore, São Paulo (2001): This project is a landmark in the South American bookstore industry. During a period of decline for physical bookstores, Brandão used design to blend different regional cultural characteristics, employing new materials and spatial design to create a cultural space imbued with a sense of belonging, where people are willing to linger for extended periods.

Projects in China: Brandão has deep connections with China. His studio has participated in the design of several Chinese projects, such as the "Shaoxing Anshan Homestay" (transforming an abandoned primary school into a homestay reflecting local history and culture) and the "Huangshan Hongcun Mocai Homestay" (an integrated design infusing modern elements into Huizhou-style architecture).

04 Connection with China: Fifteen Years of Deep Engagement

After his connection with China began at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, Brandão established a studio in Shanghai and has been traveling between China and Brazil ever since.

He has engaged with the Chinese market for 15 years, and his signed projects have become models integrating local cultural identity with architectural innovation. He appreciates traditional Chinese culture, particularly admiring Hakka Tulou (earthen buildings), believing their concept of shared space was ahead of its time globally.

Brandão once admitted: "I once wanted to be a painter, and my father wanted me to be an engineer. Ultimately, I found a balance between art and engineering, and that is being an architect."

This search for "balance" has lasted forty years. Now, in the art hall of Clube Paulistano, the exhibited sketches, models, and images silently tell the story of how an architect uses stone, lines, and color to write warm poetry about "belonging" around the world.

Exhibition Information

Exhibition: "Fernando Brandão, Architecture is Belonging"

Location: Rua Honduras, 1400 - Clube Athletico Paulistano - Jardim América - São Paulo/SP

Period: 09/10 to 09/30

Visitation: Monday to Friday from 09h to 18h

More information: www.archfb.com

Contact Information

Fernando Brandão - Architecture & Design

Phone: (11) 3064-5633

www.archfb.com

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