Monitoring the development and implementation of projects carried out in his office in Brazil over the Internet was the solution found by architect Fabio Manente to ensure the execution of his projects taken on by clients abroad. With works in China and Germany, after selling the projects, the architect oversees the faithful execution of the work through video conferencing consulting.
“I work as a consultant, ensuring the project’s concept is respected. We work a lot with images and video calls. I also make suggestions based on what I know about the market,” he says.
More than the possibility of exporting his architectural work, he adds that this type of experience enriches his career as an architect in Brazil. “I think the richness of this work is to perceive our human content in diverse cultures and to identify ourselves as a human species, realizing that we are not so different.”
Graduated in architecture and urban planning from the Mackenzie Presbyterian University in 1988, Manente holds a master’s degree in human geography, specializing in Jungian psychology and specialization in art therapy and creative expression. He is a professor at the Universidade Paulista and is pursuing a Ph.D. at the Faculty of Public Health at the University of São Paulo. He mainly works with urbanization, regional urban planning, urban health, mobility, and society.
Check out the interview below:
Can you talk about your international experience as an architect? You’ve worked in China and Germany; how did you get to these countries?
I started my professional working relationship with China in 2008 by importing lighting products to sell here in Brazil.
You had a lighting company, right?
I no longer have it; I recently closed it. But during that time, I had that lighting company, and shortly after, I started to work with lighting by importing LED technology from China, which wasn’t available here. In the beginning, I had the opportunity to be one of the first to bring LED technology to Brazil. However, my imports were small, and it came by plane, which made the product very expensive. They were high-quality products because that’s what I wanted. The cost was relatively high to obtain the best quality products and, consequently, higher prices, mainly when imported by plane.
I sold to jewelry stores all over Brazil, which at that time had a demand for high-quality lighting that wouldn’t affect their products. Conventional lamps posed a risk of damaging gemstones due to heat. I also brought LED lighting to my residential and corporate clients.
Later on, larger importers went to China and brought in large shipments. I couldn’t stay in the market because my batch was small. I was extremely well-received during this approach. Then, a Chinese client from Brazil who lives here, for whom I had done other projects, became interested in investing in the Chinese real estate sector. She wanted to buy, finish, renovate, and sell a property.
In Beijing, where I did these projects, the builders delivered the exterior of the construction, but the house’s interior had no finishes, and some walls needed to be added. The floors are like a corporate office, where you can build walls and define the spaces. You can make changes to the wet areas, the private areas, and the social areas as you see fit. This client, who is Chinese but lives in Brazil, was interested in completing this work and selling the finished house to consumers who needed a quick and fully furnished home. A large international market exists in China, and sometimes people need everything ready very quickly. The task was to create a Brazilian project because with a Brazilian architect, the project would be different from one by a Chinese architect, and the house could have more attractive market characteristics.
Our Chinese colleagues, whom I had the opportunity to meet, are highly qualified. It’s not a matter of better professionals but somewhat different aesthetics. The aesthetics in Brazil are different from those in China.
And, regarding legality, is obtaining a license to work there easy?
I work here from Brazil. My client hired me in Brazil to do work in our office. The client pays for my internal project work, specifications, and finishes. Then, the project is executed there. The project she bought belongs to her. A Chinese engineer carries out the work and uses the project I created. It’s a co-authorship. It ends up having more of a consulting characteristic. I work in Brazil, and she pays me in our national currency.
So, the design is yours, and the Chinese engineer does the execution?
Let’s say it’s a joint effort so that it doesn’t violate the legal aspects of either side. The design and concept are ours, and the technical construction is theirs. However, I act as a consultant, ensuring the project’s vision is respected. We work a lot with images and video conferencing. For finishes, I make suggestions based on what I know about the Chinese market. The engineer finds the products, sends the specifications, I make decisions here, and then I send them back to her.
How many projects have you done in China?
Three projects using the same system. After finished, the houses are sold with our aesthetic. Sometimes, even with some decoration pieces shipped from here (Brazil).
Do you communicate in English during the project execution?
Our communication is in English; I don’t speak their language.
And in Germany? How did your projects end up there?
My brother was building a house in Germany, and the construction companies offered fairly standardized projects in the city where he was. When my brother saw the project models, he found them dull. He asked the construction company if it would be possible to bring a project from a Brazilian, which would be me. I would create the design here, and he would take it to the construction company to build it.
Germany has a much more advanced sustainability approach than we do. I had to create the design while considering the local regulations my brother sent me. For instance, the installation of photovoltaic panels, due to the sun’s angle there, is different from ours. All of this influences the aesthetics, but my brother hired me to adapt the Brazilian aesthetics to their technical specifications. He took our plans to be built and adjusted by their engineering. The construction company liked the project, including the technical aspects that are very important for German construction. It was a very enriching experience. I also handled the finishes from Brazil communicated the requirements, and my brother coordinated with the construction company to find suppliers. Sometimes, they would send samples, and I could specify and design from here.
I was well-received in Germany. I was also warmly welcomed in China. Even though the cultures are different, we didn’t have any problems executing the designs I created here because the design language is universal. I didn’t need to learn a Chinese graphic representation; I used my own, with a little more logic, and the builders and the engineers there easily understood it. So, in both countries, it was a collaborative effort.
When did you complete the projects in Germany and China?
I completed the project for the house in Germany in 2016, and the construction was finished in 2017. In China, the first house was in 2015, the second in 2018, and the third was completed during the pandemic. It began in 2020, then paused, and it continued when construction was allowed to resume. We did 100% remote work.
For the first project, I had the opportunity to attend trade fairs in Hong Kong. Through the fairs, I better understood the market and the technical characteristics of the finishes used there. The fairs also gave me an excellent opportunity to update my work here.
Is consulting a viable option for architects looking to export their work?
Indeed, we can export our ideas and knowledge. And this type of work has a rich exchange of cultures. It’s enriching for us and them as well.
What advantages do you see in working this way?
Today, the forms of work are very similar, which may be surprising. Cultures are absolutely diverse, but relationships between people and within constructed spaces are very similar. So, the richness of this work is to perceive our human content in various cultures and to identify ourselves as a human species, realizing that we are not so different. Perhaps that has been the most significant experience. Recognizing that we are not so different as a species, but we have our specificities.
My greater experience was understanding these similarities and our particularities, where people have different needs and demands, but all are valid and possible. Aesthetics are all valid as well.
Have these experiences enriched your work in Brazil?
Yes, by understanding the demands of other countries, such as different climatic conditions, we begin to think about better utilizing our resources. In Brazil, it’s much more possible to incorporate natural ventilation into a project than in cold climates. However, sometimes we forget and only use air conditioning, which consumes energy and affects our respiratory system.
We need to think more about bringing nature closer. In countries with harsh winters, natural resources might be distant for a large part of the year. Here, nature is present year-round. We value wilderness, but perhaps not as much as in cultures where a small plant or flower sprouting is seen as a miracle. We don’t appreciate the natural element as much. For me, the experience from these international projects was essential in valuing our work as architects, our landscaping, and the emotions that spaces carry.
You have a different background; besides architecture, you have a master’s in human geography, specialization in Jungian psychology, art therapy, and creative expression. Does this influence your work and your way of relating to clients?
Certainly, my master’s degree was in human geography, which gave me a different perspective on the city. Geography offers a more critical and in-depth understanding of space. Jungian psychology and creative expressions in art gave me some knowledge about people, understanding what a person needs and what lies behind our words. I’m not a psychologist. I would have had to study psychology to become one, but it’s a field I greatly admire. The courses gave me a better understanding of human relationships, giving me a solid foundation to work more effectively, both here and in these international experiences. I think that’s why they have been successful.
Currently, I’m pursuing a Ph.D. in public health, and because of that, I now think about how space, architecture, and the city affect our health. The relationship between space and health. I’m dedicated to understanding how architecture and urban planning can contribute to our physical and emotional health; space evokes emotions in all of us.
What advice would you give Brazilian architects who want to market their ideas internationally?
The first consideration is the legal aspect. Be careful not to violate the regulations of our local council or the council of the country you intend to enter. The most suitable approach I found at that time was consulting. Secondly, be aware of the local professionals because local professionals are not our competitors; they are colleagues with whom we will share ideas and information. So, it’s essential to be open to the architecture in that location and the aesthetics that exist there — but still remember to be Brazilian. What sets us apart from colleagues in other countries is our Brazilian identity. Perhaps that’s the most crucial advice.
Sometimes, we become so international that we homogenize architecture. But what people seek is the uniqueness of cultures. So, we Brazilians have our own characteristics, and our work should reflect our aesthetics. More relaxed, more colorful. It can even be a bit more joyful, but with good taste.
Foreign people identify Brazilians as a culture that, in addition to being joyful, has good taste in thinking and expressing space. That’s how we have to differentiate ourselves from colleagues in other countries and to be able to bring additional and unique.