Fio House / Studio MK27. Image © Fernando Guerra
Landscape architecture is responsible for the transformation and resignification of the landscape, either by enriching architecture or by bringing forth the history of the site. As with buildings, when we design with vegetation it allows us to work a series of stimuli, qualities, and functions.
Roberto Burle Marx, Rosa Kliass, and Miranda Magnoli are certainly some of the most notable figures in Brazilian modern landscape architecture. However, when it comes to the contemporary, these are the names that have been gaining recognition in the last couple years. Check them out below:
Alex Hanazaki
TG Ilhabela / Alex Hanazaki Paisagismo. Image © Demian Golovaty
Minimal and detailed oriented, Alex Hanazaki’s meticulously designed gardens blend Brazilian tropicality with a Japanese essence. Leading the practice Hanazaki Paisagismo, he is the only Brazilian to have won the Professional Awards by ASLA (American Society of Landscape Architects) twice, in 2014 and 2017.
BT House / Studio Guilherme Torres. Image © Denilson Machado
Hanazaki’s projects can be understood by the word “contemporaneity.” As living works of art, they adopt a varied number of native species and materials that harmonize with external architectural elements.
Thriving in the hinterland of Sao Paulo state, he has worked with renowned architecture practices for 18 years.
Learn more about his work here.
André Paoliello
Fidalga 727 / Triptyque. Image © Fran Parente
Specialized in landscape design and construction management, André Paoliello works with a multidisciplinary team of landscape architects, biologists, and agronomists in residential, commercial, and industrial projects. As a rule, he creates a dialogue between the site and its environment. With more than a decade in the business, Paoliello is also a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects and of its Brazilian counterpart.
Learn more about his work here.
Benedito Abbud
Praça Victor Civita / Levisky Arquitetos and Anna Julia Dietzsch. Image © Nelson Kon
Benedito Abbud founded his landscape design practice in 1981 and has completed over 5,000 projects in differing scales, from squares to parks and corporate to commercial projects.
Each design promotes functionality, creating areas designed for different uses, from social interaction to public spaces. He is also the author of “Paisagens,” which was edited by Senac.
Learn more about his work here.
Daniel Nunes
OF House / Studio Otto Felix. Image © Denilson Machado
Daniel Nunes is interested in the use of native species in his projects. He has designed more than 750 projects in differing scales and typologies: residential, commercial, farms, spas, corporate, among others. Believing that landscape design is an extension of architecture, he tries to translate the materiality of structures into his gardens.
OF House / Studio Otto Felix. Image © Denilson Machado
Another characteristic of his work is the variety of the chosen materials, such as stones, floorings, and species.
Learn more about his work here.
Gabriella Ornaghi
Jardim Paulistano Rooftop / Gabriella Ornaghi Arquitetura da Paisagem. Image © Rodrigo Bordigoni
Leading the Office Gabriella Ornaghi Arquitetura da Paisagem, the landscape architect graduated from FAU/Mackenzie in 2004 and has worked independently since 2007, developing technical, environmental and creative projects.
With designs that value texture and the visual, Gabriella Ornaghi’s work seeks harmony to integrate architectural elements in a functional way.
Learn more about her work here.
Gilberto Elkis
Tempo House / Gisele Taranto Arquitetura. Image © Denilson Machado
Having more than 35 years of experience in landscape architecture, Gilberto Elkis has designed projects in differing scales and typologies, always seeking spatial wellbeing, a myriad of colors, shapes, and textures. As a researcher, the use of varied species is characteristic of his work.
Most of his portfolio is composed of private urban, country, and coastal homes. His book “Degustação de Paisagens” was published by Tempo Design in 2012.
Learn more about his work here.
Gil Fialho
SW House / Jacobsen Arquitetura . Image © Leonardo Finotti
With more than 20 years of experience in landscape architecture, Gil Fialho’s practice values the harmony between the elements of a garden and the architecture that surrounds it. A researched of flora, he incorporates specific species into the environments he works in.
Fialho has worked with Studio MK27, Jacobsen Arquitetura, Bernardes Arquitetura, Aflalo Gasperini, and Studio Arthur Casas. He also has received numerous awards, including the Leaf Award and the International Properties Award.
Learn more about his work here.
Isabel Duprat
JH House / Bernardes + Jacobsen Arquitetura. Image © Leonardo Finotti
Isabel Duprat graduated in architecture and later specialized in landscape architecture. After not having much work in her field, she opened up a plant store. Always searching for the wellbeing in her designs, she was the only Brazilian portrayed in the book Woman Garden designers – 1900 to Present.
Learn more about her work here.
Isabela Ono, Julio Ono and Gustavo Leivas
Tropical Island (Alemanha). Image Cortesia de Burle Marx Paisagismo
Isabela Ono, Julio Ono, and Gustavo Leivas studied under Haruyoshi Ono at Burle Marx. They currently develop projects in Brazil and abroad with architects such as Ruy Othake, Paulo Jacobsen, Bernardes, among others. The practice is currently led by Isabela Ono (having more than 20 years of experience in the company) and coordinated by partners Julio Ono and Gustavo Leivas.
Unique Garden Hotel &Spa (SP – Arquitetura Ruy Othake). Image Cortesia de Burle Marx Paisagismo
Along with their residential work, they have also designed Tropical Island (Berlin), Museum of Tomorrow (Rio de Janeiro), Biscayne Boulevard (Miami), Praça da Revolução (Acre), Kuala Lumpur City Centre Park (Malaysia), Parque Vila dos Atletas (Rio de Janeiro), Eixo Monumental (Brazil Federal District), Unique Garden Hotel & Spa (Sao Paulo), and Belmond Copacabana Palace (Rio de Janeiro).
Residência Alto Humaitá (RJ). Image Cortesia de Burle Marx Paisagismo
Learn more about their work here.
Koiti Mori and Klara Kaiser
Luciana Brito Gallery / Piratininga Arquitetos Associados. Image © André Scarpa
Klara Kaiser graduated in architecture and urbanism at the University of São Paulo, where she also works as a professor. She is also a member of the Sítio Burle Marx consulting board.
The firm’s works are characterized by a harmony created between the landscape and the architecture, with gardens that take the human scale into consideration.
Learn more about their work here.
Luiz Carlos Orsini
Luiz Carlos Orsini graduated in landscape architecture in Madrid in 1984 and spent over 30 years working in the field. Orsini is a contemporary master of Brazil. Having completed hundreds of projects in the country, he is also a specialist in tree transplanting, having overseen more than 10 thousand transplants. In 2017, he launched the book Luiz Carlos Orsini – 30 anos de Paisagismo.
Learn more about his work here.
Marcelo Faisal
AM House / Drucker Arquitetura. Image © Leonardo Finotti
Marcelo Faisal is an architect, agronomist, and landscape architect. Designing to valorize species and experiences, the use of textures, foliages, designs, and materials are characteristic of his work, resulting in bold projects that give new meaning to the landscape.
Learn more about his work here.
Mariana Siqueira
Casa das Praças / Bloco Arquitetos. Image © Haruo Mikami
Located in Brasília, Mariana Siquiera is the person behind “Jardins do Cerrado,” a project that introduces flora from the Brazilian savannah into urban landscape designs. This project was created in partnership with the ICMBio (Chico Mendes Biodiversity Conservation Institute), Brasília University (UNB), EMBRAPA Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia, EMBRAPA Cerrados and Jardim Botânico de Brasília (Brasília Botanical Garden).
Learn more about her work here.
Oficina2mais
House in Gonçalves / André Vainer Arquitetos. Image © Tuca Reinés
Transitioning between scales, the practice develops projects that value the relationship between man and the built environment. Oficina2mais’ researches extensively in botanic species and textures to create transitions in spaces.
Learn more about their work here.
Plantar Ideias
MADE 2016. Image © Julia Ribeiro
Lead by Felipe Stracci and Luciana Pitombo (both graduates of Escola da Cidade), Plantar Ideias develops projects focused on landscape architecture.
Learn more about their work here.
Renata Tilli
RT House / Jacobsen Arquitetura. Image © Pedro Kok
Leading a team of landscape architects, Renata Till comes from a family dedicated to plants, landscape design, and the recovery and preservation of aquatic forests. Specialized in horticulture, she is responsible for a series of private gardens that pay respect to the local environment. She has also designed projects dedicated to the reconstruction and rediscovery of centenary coffee plantations.
Learn more about her work here.
Rodrigo Oliveira
Lara House / Felipe Hess. Image © Ricardo Bassetti
An agronomist and landscape designer, Rodrigo Oliveira brings inspiration from the woods of Brazil into his projects. Raised in Paraná, he acquired the knowledge of botany and graduated from the Federal University of Viçosa. Later, he specialized in landscape architecture at Florida’s International Society of Arboriculture.
Oliveira has completed dozens of landscape design projects in partnership with Studio MK27, Isay Weinfeld, and Felipe Hess.
Learn more about his work here.