October 1, 2026 | DESIGN & INTERIORS
the INTELLIGENCE of PLACE
words Onur Baştürk
photos MODULAR BAHIA - Joana França
CASA JAPI- Nelson Kon
PORTRAITS - Ruy Teixeira
Brazilian architecture, in their view, stands out for its clarity, resilience and contextual intelligence. It is a practice frequently shaped by limitation, yet capable of generosity—addressing social, environmental and spatial urgencies with solutions that are both inventive and grounded. These reflections come from Fernanda Barbara and Fabio Valentim, founders of the São Paulo–based studio UNA Barbara e Valentim. The city they call home also serves as the primary lens through which they read architecture: a vast and complex metropolis that continually informs their thinking and tests their ideas. Through two recent projects, Barbara and Valentim reflect on landscape, construction and the evolving responsibilities of architecture today.
CASA JAPI WAS CONCEIVED TO EXIST IN A HORIZONTAL DIALOGUE WITH THE LANDSCAPE
From the beginning, UNA has been defined by a strong dialogue between architectural practice and academic research. Looking back today, how do these two fields continue to inform and challenge one another in your work?
They remain deeply connected. Academic research pushes us to question methods and expand possibilities, while practice tests those ideas in real contexts. One constantly sharpens the other. Many of our investigations into sustainability, materiality and new construction systems have emerged—and matured—through this dynamic tension.
In your recent projects—particularly Casa Japi and Modular Bahia—the relationship between architecture and landscape feels especially central. At what point does the connection to place truly begin for you in a project?
It begins before any drawing. Site visits, climate, vegetation and topography inform the architecture before formal decisions are made. In both projects, architecture is not simply added to the landscape—it is arranged within it. The geometry and topography of the site, the sun’s path, the presence of water or forest all become lines that guide us from the very first steps.
Casa Japi is a more introspective house, deeply shaped by its topography. What was the core idea guiding your spatial decisions in this project?
Casa Japi was conceived to exist in a horizontal dialogue with the landscape. The key idea was controlled permeability: creating a house that protects itself from the street—compact and introspective—while opening fully to the inner garden. The radial plot and rammed-earth structure were fundamental to this approach, anchoring the architecture to the ground.
FROM THE OUTSET, MODULAR BAHIA TREATED CLIMATE, LANDSCAPE AND CONSTRUCTION AS ONE SYSTEM
Modular Bahia, on the other hand, operates in a very different context, where climate, landscape and construction technology must be considered together. What aspects were the most challenging—and the most exciting?
Modular Bahia led us to think of climate, landscape and construction as a single system from the outset. The main challenge was translating the site’s complexity—the tropical climate, the sensitive territory between river and sea, and logistical constraints—into a precise and controlled building process. At the same time, this was also the most exciting dimension: working with an industrialised system while preserving architectural specificity, environmental performance and a strong relationship with place. The project allowed us to test how modular construction can be both rigorous and adaptable, responding to climate and landscape without sacrificing spatial quality.
With Modular Bahia, you introduce the Modular BV system, redefining the balance between industrialised construction and architectural specificity. Are modular systems still widely misunderstood within architectural discourse?
We believe they are. Modular systems are often associated with repetition, loss of authorship or reduced spatial quality. With Modular BV, our intention was to challenge this perception by showing that industrialised construction can be a framework for architectural precision rather than a limitation. The system offers control, efficiency and environmental performance while remaining open to adaptation, site conditions and design intent. It is not about standardising architecture, but about adaptability and constructive clarity. Modular thinking can open new possibilities, especially in regions with difficult access, tight construction schedules or pressing environmental constraints.
BRAZILIAN ARCHITECTURE OFFERS A COMBINATION OF CLARITY, RESILIENCE AND CONTEXTUAL INTELLIGENCE
Wood, CLT and engineered timber have long been central to your practice. How do you see their future within Brazilian architecture?
Brazil has a remarkable opportunity to redefine its material culture around reforested wood and engineered timber. These materials are renewable, low-impact and well suited to our climate. Beyond that, they enable an architectural intelligence that values lightness, precision and sustainability. CLT and other engineered systems are no longer novelties; they are tools for faster, cleaner and more responsive construction. We see them as part of a future where building better also means building more responsibly.
Modern Brazilian architecture is once again receiving strong international attention. What is driving this renewed interest?
Brazilian architecture offers a combination of clarity, resilience and contextual intelligence. Architects here often work with limited means, yet propose inventive, essential and generous solutions while addressing social, environmental and territorial urgencies.
How do you position your work in relation to Brazil’s modernist legacy? Does this heritage offer freedom, or does it sometimes set boundaries?
Brazil’s modernist legacy is vast and complex. It provides a vocabulary of openness, integration and invention, but also carries limitations, especially when detached from its original social intentions. We see it as a field to revisit, expand and question. Our practice does not aim to replicate its forms, but to draw from its ethics. Today, that transformation requires new tools: climatic intelligence, circular thinking and greater attention to the places and people we design for.
