Articles by Susanna Moreira

The Palácio de Tavira project reimagines a historic landmark through a careful balance between architectural memory and contemporary expression.

WaCa Design’s Rocha Floridas Guest House core concept relies on pragmatic constructivism and pure spatial geometry—adding and subtracting volumes from a central two-story cube. Located on Brazil’s southern coast facing Calheiros Beach, the project is one of the four buildings in the Rocha Floridas compound, committing to sustainability by prioritizing Low Embodied Carbon (LEC) materials.

The relationship with the existing landscape and the uneven topography were the main determinants in the design of Casa Tamanás. Situated on a sloped lot with several existing fruit trees, the fundamental strategy of the project consisted of operating through precise cuts in the built volume. More than simple openings, these interventions function as frames that enhance the view of the landscape, framing scenes that vary between the tree canopies and the gardens at ground level, establishing a visual continuity that integrates the architecture with its immediate surroundings.

Located in an urban mixed-use lot, Casa Caetés is situated on a quiet street that balances residential and commercial use. The design was created for a large family with a “tentacular” configuration—a couple and five children—whose expanded connections demand a complex and interconnected spatial structure.

Far from the perception of the exhibition space as a sterile and untouchable, almost sacred place, the contemporary technology museum has emerged as a performative participant in the systems it seeks to document. The architecture of these institutions has become increasingly fluid and bold, often mirroring the velocity and complexity of the systems it houses. They operate as mediators between the human, the ecological, and the technological realms, transforming from encyclopedic warehouses into active educational engines. By spatializing complex scientific data through immersive rooms, these structures make the technological networks of our world accessible, engaging, and tangible.

The 2400 sf Hillside House sits comfortably on a forested slope strewn with enormous boulders. The owners entrusted us with their dream of a comfortable home for an active family of five. At our first meeting, one of the owners shared a sketch of a u-shaped floor plan that literally hugged the largest, most prominent boulder. Although practicalities intervened, embracing the boulder was the seed of the design and we kept it in mind as the project developed.

The Marcia Leal Hair Studio was conceived as a spatial experience that extends beyond its commercial function, translating the project through use, perception, and the relationship established with those who experience it. Located in Jaraguá do Sul, Santa Catarina, the beauty salon occupies a fully renovated commercial unit designed to reflect the client’s authentic personality and to create an environment where time slows down and care is expressed not only through service, but also through space.