5-Star Reading

2102 September

2102

New York
Celebrating five years of flights to New York, Oryx explores .the entire Empire State

Beirut
Experience Beiruts cosmopolitan past with a .walking tour through the city

architect

Fernanda marques
Words by matthias brendler

Rounding the corner onto Rua Ramos Batista in the Vila Olmpia neighbourhood, So Paulo, I was really hoping N198 was the right building. The luminous glass curtain walls glowed from between concrete slab floors; a pristine International-Style office tower rising 14 storeys above the ageing bricolage of low-rise urban sprawl.

Qatar Airways has daily non-stop flights from doha to So Paulo.

Perpetually the country of the future, the nations motto Ordem e Progresso (Order and Progress) not only now seems viable, but inevitable and well deserved. As one of the worlds fastest-growing economies, todays unprecedented buying power has been long-awaited. Real estate is buoyant. Much of Fernanda Marques business success can be attributed to the real-estate boom and her strategic partnerships with most of the major construction companies throughout Brazil. Today, after decades progressing through military dictatorships on to democracy, enduring a wildly unstable inflationary economy, Marques says, Brazil is finding its true identity. For so long, Brazilians high quality was only that which was imported the value conferred by the Hollywood culture factory and European taste brokers. The world is beginning to see beyond the stereotypes of soccer and samba. Brazil is emerging as a serious global player in the business of creative enterprise, and a leading international force in design. A nation that often attributes shame to its mixed-race complexion,

Brazil is a hopeful model for the rest of the world. If a pop musician like Gilberto Gil can become Minister of Culture, perhaps the office of Brazilian Design Ambassador is in the offing. Via numerous projects in Miami and New York, Marques already fits this role; for, as she imports no-nonsense best practices from First World experiences, she brings a uniquely Brazilian charm to projects far from home. Unlike many of her professional counterparts in architecture, Marques doesnt identify a particular professional epiphany or moment that led her to a career in architecture. Instead, it was more of a steady magnetic pull,

increasing involvement in the field and, as she describes it, a lifelong strong intuitive aesthetic sense and a natural passion for design and architecture that unifies her work as a multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur. Perhaps the absence of a marketing narrative creates an authenticity that attracts clients and fuels her success across diverse arenas of design. Still, though, marketing is key to the business of design. And in this regard, the importance of charisma or ones personal brand cannot be overstated. Her warmth, professional gravitas, and business savvy are at the core of her brand.

brazil is Finding its true identity. For so long, brazilians high quality was only that which was imPorted.

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CHeF KITCHen And Lounge Chef Kitchen and Lounge re-imagines the quotidian role of the kitchen as it celebrates and transforms it into the engaging and entertaining hub of activity it has become. Filled with surprises, this design showcase was celebrated as one of the highlights of the show Casa Trio, held in So Paulo in october 2010. This project translates the architects unique and contemporary vision. The importance given to the kitchen in homes today deserves design that is richer conceptually. We have the tools to build kitchens with more organic forms.

www.qatarairways.com

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architect

Zegna The So Paulo office for the fashion house Ermenegildo Zegna occupies an airy 480m2. Completed in 2009, it reinforces Zegna's clean sophistication and signature style. A luscious balance of the restraint and luxury, colours and materials were chosen according to the firm's established style guidelines. Interior spaces are integrated through glass wall dividers.

RESUM Fernanda marques was born and raised in So Paulo and graduated in 1988 from the university of So Paulos esteemed Architecture and urban design programme. With an auspicious beginning, she began her career in architecture with modern Brazilian master architect Jean Carlo gasperini. In 1990, Fernanda marques opened her own practice, teaming up with her sister and business partner, Renata marques Ruhman, who holds an mBA from Columbia university. Twenty-two years and more than 200 projects later, Fernanda marques Arquitetos Associados (FmAA) has grown into a vast business with more than 100 employees and a global clientele.

Brazil is leading the way in sustainable design, but the reality might just surprise you its not about the rainforest. Here, sustainability is more about people than the emerging technology, advanced materials, low-impact tools, and greener processes. As in most of Latin America, the human element is the central factor in design. What makes Brazil such an excellent case study for design and innovation is actually the scarcity of resources that fuels the creative imagination. And, while its easy to understand how facts like having the world's greatest biodiversity* might suggest otherwise, the real lesson for the rest of the world vis--vis sustainable design is about how to create spaces for deepening the enjoyment of life and fostering shared experiences with other people. Created for the Casa Cor 2010 exhibit, Marques Sustainable Home feeds off these qualities. In terms of sustainability, when construction is smaller, it entails fewer resources, and lower energy consumption. Secondly, materials throughout are recycled (both inside and out), including the furniture and the great supporting pillars (of the Bahia tree).

In a culture where many Brazilian words are actually Arabic, and whole cities speak German, its not surprising that diverse people have found a way to coexist joyfully, genuinely desiring to be together as groups. To mix and match, integrate inside with outside, is what makes Brazilian design appealing and adaptable. With a keen focus on human usability and comfort,

a harmony between economic and empathic, this may be yet another path for sustainable design and one along which Fernanda Marques will surely light the way. www.fernandamarques.com.br
Source: * World Conservation Monitoring Centre of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP-WCMC), 2004. Species Data (unpublished, September 2004).

BarBiZon A wooden bench runs the entire length of the living area, just beneath the tall windows in this open-plan New York apartment. Both storage and seating, this humanistic multipurpose design element is a Fernanda Marques trademark a surface for displaying works of art, magazines or a place just to sit and wonder. The space is designed to adapt fluidly to the different activities of home life. The love/hate relationship with television is resolved by a floor alcove that avoids disrupting the circulation of the open kitchen.

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