Brazilian modernism finds its latest expression in Studio Porto’s AG House
Studio Porto, an emerging Brazilian practice, joins the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024

Studio Porto, a young Brazilian practice, joins the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2024, our latest annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios.
Who: Studio Porto
The emerging practice of Camila Porto stands out through its contemporary fusion of Brazilian culture with a cosmopolitan attitude. The studio's projects are intended to be timeless, balanced, and hospitable, Porto explains – but functionality is equally paramount. Attention to detail, empathy, and integration with nature are also strengths.
'Our greatest influence is Brazilian modernism, which brings with it a legacy of architectural solutions guided by simplicity and elegance. We combine this foundation with a contemporary and global perspective, integrating elements of nature and prioritising people's wellbeing. This combination of values shapes our approach uniquely and innovatively in architecture and design,' Porto explains.
What: AG House
AG House, one of the studio's newest completions, brings together the architect's signature blend of simplicity and minimalism. Set in Brazil's Uberlândia, the residence is located in the neighbourhood of Triângulo Mineiro. The structure, a single-storey residence, cleverly incorporates the owner's need for combining workspace and home through a contemporary design that centres on flowing, flexible space, functionality, and a prominent, light-filled area for entertaining.
AG House's L-shaped arrangement was chosen for its orientation – offering the best balance between plenty of sunlight and avoiding overheating. The materials add a luxurious and tactile touch, comprising slatted concrete, natural stone such as granite, shou sugi ban charred wood, and marble.
'The materials were selected with precision to provide not only an exclusive identity to the residence but also to ensure comfort. Metal structures, glass, Brazilian natural stones, and various species of wood converge to create a welcoming and visually appealing environment,' says the architect.
Why: Architects’ Directory 2024
Conceived in 2000 as an international index of emerging architectural talent, the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory is our annual listing of promising practices from across the globe. While always championing the best and most promising young studios, over the years, the project has showcased inspiring work with an emphasis on the residential realm. Now including more than 500 alumni, the Architects’ Directory is back for its 24th edition. Join us as we launch this year’s survey – 20 young studios from Australia, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Canada, China, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, India, New Zealand, Nigeria, Portugal, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Tunisia, the UK, the USA, with plenty of promise, ideas and exciting architecture.
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Ellie Stathaki is the Architecture & Environment Director at Wallpaper*. She trained as an architect at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece and studied architectural history at the Bartlett in London. Now an established journalist, she has been a member of the Wallpaper* team since 2006, visiting buildings across the globe and interviewing leading architects such as Tadao Ando and Rem Koolhaas. Ellie has also taken part in judging panels, moderated events, curated shows and contributed in books, such as The Contemporary House (Thames & Hudson, 2018), Glenn Sestig Architecture Diary (2020) and House London (2022).
-
Peek inside Uchronia’s celadon green suite at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park
The Paris-based studio teamed up with Pantone to transform a suite at the storied hotel into an aquatic dreamscape. Here’s how to check in
-
This legendary villa was built for the Cuban government. Now it’s The Future Perfect’s new Miami gallery
With Villa Paula, the boundary-pushing collectible design gallery expands its footprint
-
Hassan Hajjaj's vibrant portraits put Moroccan women at the centre of the story
For more than three decades, the visual artist has been making portraits that centre Moroccan culture, albeit through a subversive lens. Now, an exhibition in Toronto explores the sporty facet of his portraits
-
Itapororoca House blends seamlessly with Brazil’s lush coastal landscape
Designed by Bloco Arquitetos, Itapororoca House is a treetop residence in Bahia, Brazil, offering a large wrap-around veranda to invite nature in
-
A postmodernist home reborn: we tour the British embassy in Brazil
We tour the British Embassy in Brazil after its thorough renovation by Hersen Mendes Arquitetura, which breathes new life into a postmodernist structure within the country's famous modernist capital
-
A new concrete house in São Paulo state is designed to open up to its hillside views
Architects Fernanda Padula and Juliana Risso have shaped this family house in Brazil from meticulously poured concrete forms, precise joinery and a close relationship with the landscape
-
Meet Carmen Portinho, the pioneering engineer who shaped Brazilian architecture
Carmen Portinho’s pioneering vision shaped Brazil’s social housing, museums and modernist identity. A new exhibition in Rio finally gives her work the recognition it deserves
-
An upstate São Paulo house is rooted in culture and the location that inspires it
Balancing tradition and modernity, upstate São Paulo house Casa MM by Equipe Lamas is ‘an oasis of intimacy within a residential setting’
-
A masterful house in São Paulo invites jungle vegetation, water and natural light in
A house in São Paulo by Meireles + Pavan Arquitetura, FR House, is a richly curated series of spaces designed to create worlds within worlds
-
Meet Rodrigo Oliveira, landscape architect to some of Brazil’s finest buildings
We delve into Rodrigo Oliveira's naturalistic approach and explore his landscape architecture work, gracing buildings designed by some of Brazil's finest contemporary architects
-
A rammed-earth house near Brasília pairs the traditional technique with contemporary forms
Valéria Gontijo + Architects has completed Casa Taipa, pairing earthy tones and natural materials with refined design and a generous floorplan