Carla Juaçaba on architecture as ‘action over a territory’
Brazilian architect Carla Juaçaba – tipped by Frida Escobedo as one of 25 creative leaders of the future in Wallpaper’s 25th Anniversary Issue ‘5x5’ project – on her work past and present, and building landscapes where ‘nature, design and infrastructure coexist’

Federico Cairoli - Photography
Carla Juaçaba set up her independent practice in Rio de Janeiro in 2000. Combining design and research, the Brazilian architect has turned her hand to everything from private residences to exhibition design. She also regularly lectures at high-profile institutions such as Harvard GSD, Columbia University GSAPP, and Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio.
She considers her participation in the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale with the Vatican Chapel for the Holy See Pavilion her breakthrough work. ‘It was a synthesis of a very old programme: you go to the chapel and you sit to look at the suffering: the cross. Translating a programme into space – this is architecture. And it was totally immersed in nature.’
Vatican Chapel, Holy See Pavilion
Carla Juaçaba on what drives her
Understanding how a space can be ‘political, democratic and essential’ is a key driver in Juaçaba’s practice. ‘A phrase by the Brazilian indigenous leader and writer Ailton Krenak, “step gently on the ground”, is on the wall of my design studio at Mendrisio Accademia. Architectural design should be understood as action over a territory. Architecture is not a drawing or a visual composition: each line, idea, or sketch of an architectonic design represents an action, a material transformation, and a geographical transformation. We should work together with other disciplines to build a landscape where nature, design and infrastructure coexist.’
Even though Frida Escobedo and Juaçaba haven’t had the chance to work together yet, their paths have crossed several times – at architecture events and at Harvard, for example. They are currently working on the same project in Switzerland, a Geneva scheme where architects and artists were called to design a series of temporary shelters.
Juaçaba is also currently working on a project with a strong social purpose in Brazil, designing a café, a museum on the history of coffee, and a school in a campus conceived to boost small farming businesses through agricultural tourism.
Vatican Chapel, Holy See Pavilion
INFORMATION
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
A version of this article appears in Wallpaper’s October 2021, 25th Anniversary Issue (W*270), on newsstands now and available to subscribers – 12 digital issues for $12/£12/€12.
Meet more creative leaders of the future nominated by architect Frida Escobedo here.
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).
-
Japanese designer Shinichiro Ogata's latest venture is a modern riff on the traditions of his home country
As he launches Saboe, a series of new tearooms and shops across Japan, we delve into Shinichiro Ogata's creative vision, mirrored throughout the spaces and objects, rituals and moments of his projects
-
These are Dover Street Market’s jewellery designers to watch, exhibiting at the London store all summer
In a special exhibition, Dover Street Market London is highlighting 36 emerging jewellery designers to know – shop our pick of their pieces
-
A street-like Pune clubhouse celebrates the ‘joy of shared, unhurried experiences’
A brick clubhouse in Pune by Studio VDGA reflects the fluidity and openness of the Indian way of life with a series of welcoming plazas, courtyards and lanes
-
Lush greenery surrounds this compact São Paulo residence
WF Architects has created a São Paulo residence surrounded by tropical plants on a small plot in the heart of the city’s leafy Jardim Paulistano district
-
Beige is best at this São Paulo apartment by Arthur Casas
With this quietly elegant São Paulo apartment, Studio Arthur Casas celebrates the power of subtle, neutral shades to create warmth and timeless appeal
-
Lina Bo Bardi, the misunderstood modernist, and her influential architecture
A sense of mystery clings to Lina Bo Bardi, a modernist who defined 20th-century Brazilian architecture, making waves still felt in her field; here, we explore her work and lasting influence
-
A Brazil office makes the most of its tropical location
We tour of a new Brazil office engulfed in greenery – welcome to Gabriel Faria Lima Corporate by Perkins & Will
-
Oscar Niemeyer: a guide to the Brazilian modernist, from big hits to lesser-known gems
Architecture master Oscar Niemeyer defined 20th-century architecture and is synonymous with Brazilian modernism; our ultimate guide explores his work, from lesser-known schemes to his big hits; and we revisit a check-in with the man himself
-
Inspired by 1970s Brazilian brutalism, Arches House is rich in colour and expression
Arkitito Arquitetura blends Brazilian brutalism with fresh colours, bringing warmth and energy into a renovated family home in São Paulo
-
A Brazilian house is a soothing oasis inspired by the black sands of Iceland
Turmalina, a Brazilian house by architect Tulio Xenofonte, blends contemporary architecture with the cleansing energy of black tourmaline, creating a secluded retreat
-
The new MASP expansion in São Paulo goes tall
Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand (MASP) expands with a project named after Pietro Maria Bardi (the institution's first director), designed by Metro Architects