Fernando Maculan

• Name — Fernando Maculan Assumpção • Born — 1974 • Birthplace — Belo Horizonte, Brazil • Education — Federal University of Minas Gerais • Occupation — Architect, urban planner, industrial designer • Practice — MACh Architects (since 2010) • Awards — Antwerp Diamond High Council Award (2003), IAB Architecture Prize (2021, 2022), Tomie Ohtake AkzoNobel Architecture Prize (2021), ArchDaily House of the Year (2023) • Significant Projects — Lá da Favelinha Cultural Center, House of Kdu dos Anjos

Fernando was born in Belo Horizonte in 1974. He graduated from the School of Architecture of the Federal University of Minas Gerais in 1997.

In his professional work, Maculan engages in architectural and urban projects of different scales, as well as working in graphic design and industrial design. He became notable starting in 2003 when he won the Antwerp Diamond High Council Award in 2003 for the design of a necklace called Hydra, in partnership with designer Adriano Mol. Since 2010, he has coordinated the MACh Architects office, which he founded together with architect Mariza Machado Coelho. In 2017, he co-founded, along with architect Joana Magalhães, the LEVANTE Collective, a group composed of residents of the Aglomerado da Serra favela and architects, engineers, surveyors and designers. The group designed the Lá da Favelinha Cultural Center project which, in 2021, won the Tomie Ohtake AkzoNobel architecture prize from the Tomie Ohtake Institute and a prize from the Institute of Architects of Brazil, Minas Gerais section, in 2021, and a national prize from the same institute in 2022.

In 2023, the project won ArchDaily's worldwide "House of the Year" architecture prize in the category for the house of the artist Kdu dos Anjos, located in the Aglomerado da Serra favela in Belo Horizonte. The project was conceived by Fernando and Joana through the LEVANTE Collective. The 66 sqm house utilizes typical favela materials like concrete and exposed bricks, and uses its shape to maximize natural lighting and ventilation.