Interview with Fernando Andrade
Fernando Andrade is a Brazilian architect who works on different scales and project programs. His work is driven by welcoming architecture: prioritizing the human experience, the poetics of space…
Design Legend Interview
9 August 2025
I graduated in 2004 from the Federal University of Pará. I was influenced by Amazonian regional architecture, where we practiced sustainable architecture since the 1980s, even before the term "sustainability" existed. Climate concerns have always been a prevalent theme in local research. Immersed in this context, my design philosophy developed. In times when climate change is so much discussed, the economy of resources, and the human scale as a stimulating agent in people's lives, these reflect the essence of my work.
I've been exposed to the arts in general since I was a child. I've always loved freehand drawing. I took several fine arts courses as a child. It was almost a natural path to my design education. I think inventiveness is what motivates me to continue designing to this day, whether in the field of technical or aesthetic experimentation.
It was a natural path. I've always had an aptitude for drawing and building things. I developed skills in drawing, woodcarving, and model building, even before any technical training.
Building Architecture. Cultural and Institutional
I think dedication. You have to put passion into what you do.
Inventiveness. Experimenting with something new.
A good concept behind the form. It must deny fads.
According to industry research, design is the number one factor in product selection, second only to price, which is the number one factor. I think that explains it.
A temporary pavilion for the Serpentine Gallery.
An airport.
Dedication and care in the act of designing
Norman Foster e Niemeyer
I like Zaha Hadid. I like shapes that lead the eye.
Amazon Bus Station. The way the space enhances the user experience.
In-depth study in related areas: Such as graphic design, environmental comfort, structures and materials technology.
It never crossed my mind to be anything other than that.
I believe that design for me is the translation of the variables absorbed by the creator influenced by a certain sociocultural context.
Close friends encouraged me to participate in awards and promote my work.
resilience
Getting customers to buy into an innovative idea
Regardless of the scale or value, I believe it should be treated as if it were the most important thing in your life.
It will be a planetarium. Technical and aesthetic experimentation can be expected.
Publish a book with my works and leave something that will somehow improve people's lives in the future.
Quality, care and inventiveness.
Through the promotion of well-being, inclusion, economy, and environmental and social responsibility.
A planetarium. An original structural scheme excites me.
Amazon Bus Station was one. Because of its objective as a public space of social relevance.
I've noticed that the industry has become interested in professionals with a high level of social media engagement, even more so than the quality of their work, and this concerns me.
I think it's a good path. Today, design carries with it not only the primary function of objects, but also causes.
It's variable. It depends on the scale, the program and the complexity of the solution.
By a sketch, no doubt.
Never stay in a comfort zone.
The trend defines the design.
It's fundamental. It enables things that took years to produce without its use.
3D modeling, parametric, BIM and environmental comfort.
As is known, color has a psychological influence on people's lives, which is fundamental in the sensory experience of the designed space.
if I considered all levels of age, mobility and social classes and ethnicities.
That only the human mind could do this. AI will never replace human invention.
The ideal partner would be the one who accepts the best idea of the team, without vanity.
My teachers. I am grateful to many of them.
Books on the works of Grimshaw, Renzo Piano, Norman Foster and Niemeyer and Lelé.
Researching and studying.
Norman Foste and Renzo Piano.
It is a feeling of recognition for work done with dedication.
Green, Amazon, pink shrimp, summer, watches and Breguet.
I once made a sketch and left it on the table, thinking the client wouldn't approve it, so I started working on something more feasible. The client, seeing the sketch discarded on the table, asked how I was going to build it. I didn't know how to do it yet, but I said I was ready to start construction. In the end, everything worked out.
A challenging project, regardless of the scale of the project.
Yes, it always was.
I believe in the presence of robots in our lives and new types of intersocial relationships.
I think respect for others, more tolerance in the world and a spirit of collectivity and civility.
Designer Interview
9 August 2025
I've always had an aptitude for the arts in general, and I was encouraged from a young age in fine arts schools. It was almost a natural path to design.
My design studio is a diverse, multidisciplinary team spanning graphic design, architecture, and engineering. Our design efforts are collaborative and encompass all phases of the creative process.
Design is the physical expression of variables absorbed by the designer at a given time and sociocultural context.
Building architecture. Cultural and institutional buildings.
Amazon Bus Station. This is a public transportation platform where user experience and human scale are fundamental design aspects.
Corporate headquarters
I really enjoy working with steel structures because of the wide range of possibilities available for exploring the material.
In the mornings.
I focus a lot on structural rigor and environmental comfort issues.
I feel uneasy until all technical issues are resolved.
I'm happy when they are well received by users.
Dedication.
The form.
Total, I believe in the power of design as an element that drives environmental awareness.
I believe we're on the right track. Today, products carry more than just concepts inherent to their function; they carry causes!
International Architectural Awards, in 2024.
I'm always aware of global contemporary production, but I always incorporate local cultural values and climate conditions. This is a constant in my work.
I would define my work as a contemporary global, but a regional approach to problems.
Absolutely. I live in the Amazon region, and the issue of sustainability has been present even before the term became globally accepted. Environmental comfort, cost-effectiveness, and structural rigor are constants in my design work.
Through direct hiring we work with design services in architecture and construction.
I believe that award-winning professionals with a strong presence in specialized magazines are a good filter when hiring a good designer.
I believe that award-winning professionals with a strong presence in specialized magazines are a good filter when hiring a good designer.
Books, stereo, computer, smartphone and watches.
My day can be summed up in architecture, taking care of my physical health, reading and studying.
Don't be afraid to experiment!
The good part is knowing that design is the second most important factor when choosing a product, second only to price. The bad part is that the contractor sometimes interferes with the design. This is quite frustrating.
Good design should be fashion-averse and present only the essentials.
Sensitivity and inventiveness
I work a lot with sketches and 3D computer modeling.
No matter how tight deadlines are, I never neglect my mental and physical health. I incorporated this into my routine a while ago.
It depends on the scale, program demands, and complexity of the solution. But it can take months to years.
How am I going to solve this problem?
The construction of the Amazon Bus Station
Public institutions and private companies
Institutional and cultural projects.
I have a future project to write a book bringing together my main built and unbuilt projects.
We work with a diverse and multidisciplinary team.
I am currently working on a Planetarium project.
Through my Instagram profile and website.
I'd like to congratulate this renowned awards program for its initiative in hosting rounds of interviews with the award-winning designers! Design discussions are crucial to the direction of this important industry!