As architects, we understand the importance of knowledge sharing for our industry, and with the internet, we saw an opportunity to guide the traditional format of architectural publishing toward its natural evolution. It was a passionate and instinctive effort that ultimately converged with the forces shaping our new global context as we entered the era of megacities and the global urban population grew exponentially. Understanding this scenario shaped our mission: to provide inspiration, knowledge, and tools for architects—and everyone involved in the process—to face the challenges of our built environment.
While this was a new phenomenon for the general public, astounded by rapid globalization, something significant was happening in the world. The newly coined acronym BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) emphasized that global development would unfold in new centers—fast-growing economies.
Yet if there was one place where this phenomenon was not exactly new, it was Brazil, a country where urban population growth had already been presenting challenges to cities—and, consequently, to architecture, urban planning, and politics—for decades.
