FGMF Arquitetura, São Paulo Design Studio, Brazilian Architects Practice, Brasil
FGMF Arquitetos : São Paulo Architecture Studio
Forte Gimenes Marcondes Ferraz – Design Studio Brasil – Office Information
post updated 18 Apr 2021
FGMF Architects News
16 Feb 2013
A mix of original and market architecture that challenges common sense is the mark of FGMF Arquitetos (Brasil)
Thirteen years ago, when they decided to open their own architecture office, FGMF Arquitetos, the trio Fernando Forte, Lourenço Gimenes, and Rodrigo Marcondes Ferraz, all 36 years old now, already knew where they wanted to get: be recognized by the academy and by the market for their original projects. Aiming to put into practice a contemporary, challenging, innovative architecture, functioning in all scales and programs, from the residency detail to the urban plan, this plurality and non-specialization in a certain kind of program help define the office’s DNA.
photo from architects
Friends from college, graduated at the Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo da Universidade de São Paulo (FAU/USP), Fernando, Lourenço and Rodrigo had not even taken their diploma and already went to the market, creating early projects that would have the office’s signature. One of the first works was the Kaze Building, at Mooca, São Paulo, which was built soon after they have settled the office, and it became a prized and published project all over the world.
“Grid House” – Casa Grelha – by FGMF Arquitetos:
photo from architects
A house at Mantiqueira Mountains, a Multi-use Complex in Brasilia (DF) and a new commercial project for the company Zarvos! (denominated Corujas and about to be inaugurated at Vila Madalena), are some of the more than 270 projects signed by FGMF. They are all projects in different scales that end up amplifying the variety of programs that FGMF works with in architecture.
The office gained acknowledgment in 2009 by being included in the Architects Directory of the British yearbook Wallpaper*, which highlighted the three Brazilian architects as one of the most promising and avant-gardist architecture offices around the world. In Brazil, many were the prizes received from renowned institutions, such as Instituto de Arquitetos do Brasil (IAB), Associação Brasileira de Escritórios de Arquitetura (AsBEA), among many others, from residential and institutional to urban designers. Some of their projects were published internationally in more than 20 countries, including United States, Germany, China, Italy, India, Korea, and Spain.
photo from architects
In 2009, they represented Brazil at the 1st Bienal de Arquitetura Latino-Americana, which took place in Pamplona, and won the second prize of Best Finished Project at the 8th Bienal Internacional de Arquitetura de São Paulo. The office has won many international prizes such as Chicago Atheneum Award, in the US, and Dedalo Minosse, in Italy.
Besides, in 2012, Casa 4×30 was among the three Brazilian works selected to figure at the Bienal Iberoamericana de Arquitetura, in Cádiz, Spain, amidst 195 Brazilian projects pre-selected and submitted to an international jury. In addition, Living Steel, Spark Awards, Americas Property Awards, Dedalo Minosse, and Ait Awards are among other prizes granted to the office.
Located in São Paulo (Brazil), at Vila Madalena, FGMF’s aim is to create every project from scratch, using design as an instrument to study the object and the city. For further information, please access: www.fgmf.com.br.
FGMF Architects : main page with news + key projects
Recent News for FGMF Arquitetos
5 Aug 2011
FGMF Architects win Chicago Athenaeum Award with the residential project Grid House
FGMF ARCHITECTS WINS A NEW INTERNATIONAL AWARD: CHICAGO ATHENAEUM AWARD
The Brazilian office FGMF Architects, run by the three young architects Fernando Forte, Lourenço Gimenes and Rodrigo Marcondes Ferraz, has just won one more international award, the CHICAGO ATHENAEUM AWARD. This is the 2nd international award that FGMF receives in 2011, being the other one the Dedalo Minosse, Italy, in July.
Offices of 30 countries were awarded by the prestigious International Architecture Awards© in 2011. The record number of applications and geographic distribution makes the awards a global event, with the future direction of the ‘new’ architecture.
“Grid House” – Casa Grelha – by FGMF Arquitetos:
photo from architects
The exhibition of winners of the CHICAGO ATHENAEUM AWARD will be held at the Centro Cultural Recoleta, in Buenos Aires (Argentina), during the XII International Biennale Architecture of Buenos Aires, which happens from October 8th to 30th 2011. After Argentina, the exhibition will be in Europe, going first to Warsaw. The jury, a Polish Association of Architects, which in May this year selected the winning projects.
In Brazil, only three offices took the award – FGMF Architects, Kogan and Gustavo Penna. And making company to Brazilian professionals, renowned European and American offices were also awarded, among them, Jean Nouvel and Morphosis, both winners of the Pritzker award; the Mecanoo, one of the most important of Holland, David Chipperfield, who has already won the ‘Mies Van Der Rohe award’; Francisco Mangado, from Spain, and SOM and Aedas, one of the biggest offices of the world.
This is another recognition from the academy to the FGMF work. In 2009, it won great visibility to be chosen by the British Wallpaper* for the annual Architects Directory as one of the 30 most promising young offices of the world. In 2010, it was the most awarded office in Brazil and also in the last year, the American office Architectural Record pointed FGMF as one of “Emerging Practices” of the year. In 2011, it has won five other national awards, and adding the Chicago Athenaeum Award and Dedalo Minosse to the list, two international awards.
12 Jul 2011
FGMF Architects win international award Dedalo Minosse, in Italy, with the residential project Grid House
THE THREE BRAZILIAN ARCHITECTS OF FGMF WIN ‘THE AWARD – INTERNAZIONALE DEDALO MINOSSE’ IN ITALY
In 2010, FGMF was the Brazilian Office to win the biggest number of awards, by academy and also commercial awards
FGMF architects pick up the international award Dedalo Minosse in Vicenza, Italy:
photos from architects
The FGMF architects office, under the command of the young architects Fernando Forte, Lourenço Gimenes and Rodrigo Marcondes Ferraz and placed in São Paulo (Brazil) has just won one more international award: “The international award Dedalo Minosse”-“Prêmio Internazionale Dedalo Minosse”, delivered in Vicenza, Italy, on June 24th 2011, at CISA (Andrea Palladio Centro Internacional de Estudos de Arquitetura – Andrea Palladio International Center for architecture studies). This is one of many awards received by FGMF, being the most awarded architecture Office in Brazil in the year of 2010.
In Italy, the three architects brought with them one of the most 4 important awards, the ‘Under 40’, for young architects with buildings, according to the organization, the one that can be called “good practice about of the contemporary architecture” – “boa prática da pesquisa acerca de arquitetura contemporânea”. In the selection, only completed buildings attended of the process.
Among the winners of the principal awards of the night is the Coop(l)himmelblau, a world known office, with a project for the BMW museum. Other winners are also internationally known names, such as Eric Owen Moss and I.M. Pei. According to the architect Fernando Forte, partner and director of FGMF, the Brazilian three architects are very happy for the conquest, mainly to have won this award together to big names of the architecture.
In its 8th edition, the award Dedalo Minosse with the participation of projects of 52 countries, such as Italy, France and England, as well as Lebanon, Algeria, Ecuador, Liberia, Thailand, that attended for the first time of the process. It was 340 projects pre-selected by the jury, using as criteria of choice themes like sustainability, design for all, the use of natural light, sustainability land use – and energy recourses – enhancing of the environment and architectural asset. According to the organization of the award, a growing number of attendants come from Brazil, and moreover from South America.
The jury is composed by important architects from all over the world, such as Mario Botta and Richard Meier, the last winner of the Pritzker award. To see all the names, click here:
http://www.dedalominosse.org/eng/giuria.php. An exposition of the winner projects is open to the public from June 25th to September 18th.
This is one more recognition of the academy to the work of the Brazilian office. In 2010, FGMF was the most awarded Office of the Country. For AsBEA (Associação Brasileira de Escritórios de Arquitetura – Brazilian association of architecture), FGMF won 5 awards, in the categories Corporative Architecture (BGPM), houses-residencies (Casa Grelha), Institutional (SESC Barra – co-author with Índio da Costa AUDT).
Honorable Mention at service buildings (KAZE Paulista) and Honorable Mention at Institutional buildings (Projeto Viver). By IAB 2010, it won two Honorable Mention at the commercial categories (KAZE Paulista) and Design (BPGM). Over these ones, the projects of Casa Natura, with especially for being the first commercial Project to rely on the certification AQUA (Alta Qualidade Ambiental – High environmental quality ) of Vanzolini Foundation, the Casa Tron and the Casa Grelha won other awards over the year.
In 2009, the Office won great visibility when chosen by the British magazine Wallpaper* for the annual Architects Directory as being one of the 30 most promising young offices of the world. In 2010, the American Architectural Record pointed FGMF for being the “Emerging Practices”.
“Grid House” – Casa Grelha – by FGMF Arquitetos:
photo from architects
WINNER PROJCT / UNDER 40
In one area around the mountains to the North of São Paulo (Brazil), the residential project signed by FGMF had as premises the challenge to dialogue with the Natural environment, an unexplored green area, and the project itself. The hardest task, according to the architects, was not to resolve the functional issues, but not to impose the house to what its surrounds. The client was concerned with the relationship that it should have with the space. All had an important role in the important decisions, such as the place of the house.
The clients were able not only to believe in the work of the three Brazilian architects and their ideas, but agreed to take the inherent risks to an innovative architecture. It was a great partnership between the client and the architecture office. The house is formed by moments and not for the space only. Moments being changed as long as the trees grow, get older, or when the sun attracts different shades during the day. It is not static, it is part of a dynamic environment.
FGMF Architects images / information from FGMF Architects
Location: Vila Madalena, São Paulo, Brasil
FGMF Architects Practice Information
FGMF Architects studio based in Vila Madalena, São Paulo, Brasil
FGMF Arquitetos
Placed in São Paulo, in Vila Madalena, the office of the three architects Fernando Forte, Lourenço Gimenes and Rodrigo Marcondes Ferraz was founded 11 ars ago, and in 2009, the British magazine Wallpaper*, considered the leading publication in the area of the global trends and design, highlighted the FGMF Architects in its Directory. The directory brought relation of the 30 young offices of architecture considered by Wallpaper* as the most promising and vanguard of the world, and FGMF the first and only Brazilian office in the directory.
In Brazil, the Office has already won several awards in projects from residential to institutional and planning, from premier institutions such as Architects Institute of Brazil, Prefeitura de São Paulo (São Paulo City hall) and Editora Abril, among others. Internationally, it had the projects published in Countries such as the United States, Germany, China, Italy, India, Korea and Spain. In 2009, the Office represented Brazil at the 1st Biennial of Latin American Architecture, held in Pamplona, and won, at the 8th International architecture biennial of São Paulo, the second award for best concluded project.
São Paulo Architecture
Brazilian Architect – Architect Listings
Italian Architects under 40 Award
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Website: www.fgmf.com.br