Inception of CLUBE

From a pragmatic perspective, our motivation to establish our own practice stemmed from the challenge of securing a regular architectural position upon our graduation in 2019. The previous year, a colleague and I interned at Metro Arquitetos Associados, a firm led by professors we admired, who had played a crucial role in our education. However, they already had a full team in place. It was during this time that we recognised the opportunity to create our own practice, drawing from our experiences in Europe between 2017 and 2018. During that period, I collaborated with French architect Jean-Benoît Vétillard in Paris, while my colleague worked with Salottobuono in Milan. Together, we engaged in various projects and closely observed a distinct type of practice: small firms that cultivate knowledge through both their work and the debates they foster within the discipline.

In this context, building projects, renovations, and competitions held equal significance to participation in events, seminars, publications, exhibitions, installations, and the manner in which one presents their work graphically. This specific niche—one that we could extend to numerous other practices in the global north and among our southern neighbours, including Piovenefabi, 2A+P/A, Parasite 2.0, NM3, San Rocco Magazine, DVVT, MOS, Sam Chermayeff, Something Fantastic, Hanghar LLC, Assemble, Plan Común, Lanza Atelier, Amunátegui Valdés, Itmet, Manasseri Depetris, among others, as well as Vapor 324 here in São Paulo, where I completed my first internship—inspired us to produce architecture that addresses new demands.

At that time, and still today, the architectural market in São Paulo lacked field agitators. Print magazines had vanished, and there were, and still are, no specialised architectural institutions organising meetings, events, or exhibitions, apart from those directly related to schools and universities or the IAB (Instituto dos Arquitetos do Brasil). The space for something spontaneous, emerging organically from practice, was yet to be filled. It was at this juncture that we decided to launch CLUBE.

Redefining Hierarchy

We believe in the horizontality of thought. Currently, CLUBE consists of four core members, along with several other contributors who participate more fluidly. Everyone has an equal voice and agency within the practice. We take great pleasure in bringing together students and professionals with diverse backgrounds, skills, and interests. Naturally, a hierarchical structure regarding responsibilities becomes necessary during projects. Each member is accountable for a specific stage of the design process, and these roles shift according to individual interests and availability with each project. A practice that inspires our sense of collectivity is the German office b+, led by Arno Brandlhuber. An insightful interview on this topic appears in Apartamento Magazine, issue 30 (Autumn/Winter 2022-23), titled "Looking for Problems," by Arquitectura-G. Another important aspect of our practice is the frequency with which we collaborate with professionals and practitioners from various disciplines. We have developed projects alongside architects, graphic designers, visual artists, filmmakers, musicians, curators, writers, and more, always aiming to transform shared knowledge into architecture.

The Essence of CLUBE

“Two naked wealthy men are sharing a portion of fresh oysters after a successful sparring. Despite the sweat, their hair spray remains intact. While chattering, both gnarled dicks point to a semi-octagonal aluminum bench. A vervein scent fills the room. Dripping wet white towels desperately try to muffle the sauna’s engine roar. Coats all over the floor. Gloves are ready. Suckcess.” Excerpt from OysterBoxer, 2023. CLUBE’s installation proposal in collaboration with Marc do Nascimento and Bruno Moutinho

CLUBE was founded on February 22, 2019, at the public pool of Pacaembu Stadium, behind the famous grandstand where the water slides used to be. Today, all of that has been destroyed.

In 1958, at the age of 29, Paulo Mendes da Rocha won the national competition for the construction of the Paulistano Athletic Club Gymnasium, a work that merited, three years later, a major prize in the 6th International Biennial of São Paulo (AV, 2024).

On hot summer days, we frequently receive inquiries about how to become a member of the only CLUBE located in the Campos Elíseos neighborhood.

Freedom within constraints. From Casas do Povo, SESCs, and Soviet Workers’ Clubs to Downtown Athletic Clubs. CLUBE as a place of gathering, divergence, celebration, boundaries, obsession, distinction, performance, relaxation, competition, failure, victory, exhaustion, and joy.

Geographies of Practice

Geographically speaking, we do not engage in speculations about national identities or similar concepts. Instead, we confront the production and labour challenges stemming from Brazil's peripheral position within global capitalism. In this context, we absorb resource scarcity and transform it into the aesthetic and formal aspects of our projects. For instance, in the design of the pop-up store PINGA ÃO, we reused leftover galvanised steel sheets originally intended for the Jacó restaurant project. The untreated sheets, marked by the passage of time and displacement, were integrated into the final appearance of the store.

In a more recent scenography project at the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo for the solo exhibition of artist Gabriel Massan, we utilised aluminum profiles that had served as mounting supports for the institution's own exhibition walls. While this resulted in adjustments to the preliminary dimensions outlined in the project, these changes ultimately contributed to the show’s final presentation. Such examples illustrate our commitment to addressing socioeconomic issues that intersect with geographical contexts.

We consistently seek out partners who, despite their diverse backgrounds and contexts, can contribute meaningfully to our projects. It is common for us to collaborate with suppliers who are unfamiliar with producing and delivering the final results we envision, using materials and techniques that are not commonly employed here. For example, finding suppliers willing to work with aluminum can be challenging due to the specific alloy and the distinct finishing processes it requires. However, we are often pleasantly surprised by these suppliers' willingness and enthusiasm to participate and overcome challenges, for which we are deeply grateful.

Materials, Geometry, References

In our projects, we consistently strive to offer alternatives that blend resource efficiency with a distinctive identity. This can be achieved through the careful selection of materials, geometry, or historical references. Here, we highlight three recent examples that address these aspects simultaneously.

In the Sauna–System object series, we drew inspiration from popular and vernacular designs of wooden decks and farm gates, translating them into the cold, industrial, and sterile materiality of aluminum. The ambiguous relationship of temperature and body usage (a sauna could never be made of aluminum since this metal alloy is extremely heat conductive, which would result in burnt buttocks) becomes both conceptual and material in this case. The name itself, which alludes to the idea of a sound system, adds another synesthetic layer to the work. We were thrilled to launch this series alongside a programme of musical performances featuring artists such as Frontinn, Ricardo Carioba, and WELLMAN. In the latter case, the duo utilised microphones and amplifiers to extract sounds from the objects themselves, composing a unique live performance.

In the project for the restaurant Jacó, developed in collaboration with our colleagues from Rio de Janeiro, we primarily focused on redesigning the boundaries of the lot. Situated in a neighbourhood that was originally residential, the area has undergone radical transformations due to real estate speculation. In this context, there are few instances where the presence of the street, public dimension, and social interaction are genuinely considered. Despite the budget constraints and the limitations imposed by the chef's vision, we managed to set back the front of the building using an L-shaped metal wall, creating a small corner pocket square where customers can meet friends, enjoy drinks, and savour snacks. The longer side of this wall formed an intermediate garden area, offering a different experience from the main dining room. This design approach allowed the building to remain largely intact, enabling a harmonious coexistence of the old and the new.

Finally, in the PINGA ÃO pop-up store project, located on the renowned ground floor of the Copan Building, designed by Oscar Niemeyer, we began with a historical design consideration. Niemeyer’s curves are often the result of a sequence of straight segments, reflecting the technical possibilities of his time. We exaggerated this characteristic in the existing window shop and constructed a metal biombo from leftover sheets from the restaurant project to create a mediation between the interior and exterior. This device serves both as a display for the store’s items and as a privacy screen for individuals changing, effectively acting as a large dressing room in one of the busiest corners of downtown São Paulo.

Side activities

We do not subscribe to the notion of “side activities.” Although academic research in Brazil can often feel detached from architectural practice, we consider all forms of work—whether editorial, curatorial, educational, theoretical, or engagement with local communities—as integral to our praxis. Currently, we are editing an architectural almanac titled Painel, set to be released this semester. This publication brings together dozens of practices from various nationalities, responding to the lack of an editorial environment and printed publications in Brazil, with a touch of humour. Whenever possible, we organise small exhibitions, discussion panels, workshops, and meals with fellow practitioners. Some of this material is available on our YouTube channel. In parallel, I am pursuing a master's degree in architectural history at FAUUSP, focusing on the cultural production of several architects from Minas Gerais in the 1980s.