Bernardes Arquitetura

What Bernardes Arquitetura does

Bernardes Arquitetura is a privately held Brazilian architecture firm founded circa 2012 by Thiago Bernardes, headquartered in Rio de Janeiro with additional offices in São Paulo and Lisbon, Portugal. The firm offers a full suite of design services spanning architectural design, interior design, landscape integration, and lighting design, delivered across residential, hospitality, cultural, commercial, and retail projects in Brazil and select international markets. The practice draws on a documented multi-generational Bernardes family legacy in Brazilian modernism (maintained through a Memory Project covering Sérgio Bernardes and Cláudio Bernardes) and has built a portfolio featuring the MAR – Museu de Arte do Rio, Hotel Fasano Angra dos Reis, Hotel Arpoador, Edifício Pascoal Vita, Edifício KÁ, and the Casa Pipa modular housing prototype.

The firm's technical differentiation rests on tropical-modernist design principles, the use of natural materials (wood, stone, corten steel), and construction innovations including the Casa Pipa industrialized modular housing system developed with Laer Engenharia, as well as signature facade work such as the dark gray exoskeleton and automated translucent sunscreens on Edifício Pascoal Vita and the multi-layer perforated aluminum facade with central library skylight on Edifício Aníbal. Collaborations with tier-one partners—Burle Marx for landscape architecture and studios including Franco + Fortes, Studio Iluz, and Lightworks for lighting—extend the firm's capability envelope on flagship commissions.

The business model is professional services: revenue is generated through project-specific design fees from direct commissions, developer invitations, and design competitions, with pricing determined privately per engagement rather than disclosed publicly. Client relationships span HNW residential developers (Idea Zarvos, Laguna), boutique hospitality operators (Fasano Group), cultural institutions and government bodies (MAR municipal museum, Brazil Pavilion at Expo Milano 2015), with notable international competition entries including the Powerhouse Parramatta museum in Sydney. The firm is consistently recognized through awards from Architizer, Dezeen, World Architecture Festival, LOOP Design Awards, and Architecture Masterprize, which serve as a primary top-of-funnel demand-generation channel alongside its bilingual portfolio website and active social media presence.

Name

Bernardes Arquitetura

Legal name

Bernardes Arquitetura

Website

https://bernardesarq.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Bernardes Arquitetura is a privately held Brazilian architecture firm with offices in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Lisbon, delivering architecture, interior, landscape, and lighting design for luxury residential, hospitality, cultural, and commercial clients across Brazil and select international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Architectural Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (541310), Interior Design Services (54141)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Exhibition, Retail & Experiential Design (BPAHAKAL)

Keywords

• Architectural design services
• Interior design services
• Landscape architecture
• Hospitality building design
• Cultural institution design

Headquarters

HQ city

Rio De Janeiro

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architectural Design Services: Full-service architecture firm providing architectural design, interior design, landscape architecture, and renovation services for residential, commercial, cultural, hospitality, and institutional projects. Revenue is generated through design fees for commissioned projects, competitions, and interior design engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bernardes Arquitetura is a full-service architecture and interior design firm delivering architectural design, interior design, landscape architecture, and lighting design for residential, commercial, cultural, hospitality, and institutional projects. The firm works from concept development through technical documentation and project oversight, with specialized expertise in Brazilian tropical modernism, natural materials, bioclimatic strategies, and prefabricated modular construction systems. It operates from offices in Rio de Janeiro (headquarters), São Paulo, and Lisbon.

Product overview

Bernardes Arquitetura is an architecture and interior design firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of services centered on architectural design, interior design, landscape integration, and lighting design. The firm's practice spans residential architecture (custom houses and apartments), commercial buildings (office and multi-use developments), hospitality design (hotels and restaurants), and cultural institutions (museums and galleries). Key projects include MAR – Museu de Arte do Rio, Hotel Arpoador, Casa Terra, and Casa Pipa (a modular residential prototype). The firm operates from offices in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Lisbon, and collaborates with landscape architects (Burle Marx, Isabel Duprat) and lighting designers (Studio Iluz, Franco + Fortes) as integral partners to its architectural services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Architectural Design Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Architizer A+Awards Public Choice Winner for MAR – Museu de Arte do Rio in Cultural: Museums category (2014)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Scale ArchitecturecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture partner for the international competition entry for the Powerhouse Parramatta museum in Sydney, Australia. Bernardes Arquitetura collaborated with Scale Architecture and Agência TPBA as part of a six-finalist team competing against global architecture firms.
• Burle MarxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with the legendary landscape architecture firm Burle Marx for the Powerhouse Parramatta project in Sydney, combining Brazilian architectural expertise with internationally renowned landscape design.
• Laer EngenhariaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConstruction partner for the Casa Pipa modular housing prototype. Laer Engenharia collaborated on developing an industrialized construction system using prefabricated components for rapid execution and replicable design.
• Idea ZarvoscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReal estate development and construction partner for Edifício Pascoal Vita in São Paulo. Idea Zarvos served as both the real estate developer and builder, in collaboration with Bernardes Arquitetura for architectural design.
• LagunacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorReal estate development and construction partner for Edifício KAÁ in Curitiba. Laguna served as both developer and builder for this large-scale 30,285 m² residential project.
• Burle Marx e CiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture partner for the MAR – Museu de Arte do Rio project, providing landscaping design services in collaboration with the museum's architectural design.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Isay Weinfeld: São Paulo-based architect renowned for high-end residential, hospitality (Hotel Fasano), and restaurant interiors in Brazil. Directly comparable to Bernardes in client overlap (Fasano brand), tropical modernist sensibility, and luxury hospitality/residential niche.
• Jacobsen Arquitetura: Brasília-based architecture firm with which Bernardes has directly co-authored projects (notably the MAR – Museu de Arte do Rio as 'Bernardes + Jacobsen Arquitetura'). Comparable in cultural institutional work, residential, and Brazilian modernist design pedigree.
• Arthur Casas: São Paulo architecture and design practice with parallel focus on residential, commercial, hospitality, and interiors. Comparable to Bernardes in scale (similar headcount range), segment mix, Brazilian modernist design language, and international award recognition.
• Triptyque Architecture: Brazilian-French architecture practice with offices in São Paulo and Paris. Comparable to Bernardes in tropical modernism, sustainability focus, cultural and residential portfolio, and cross-border Brazil-Europe positioning.
• FGMF Arquitetos: Award-winning São Paulo architecture firm with parallel residential, commercial, and cultural project mix. Comparable to Bernardes in tropical modernist approach, materials emphasis (wood, stone, corten steel), and consistent international award recognition (WAF, Architizer).
• Studio MK27: São Paulo-based architecture firm led by Marcio Kogan, known for tropical modernist residential and hospitality projects across Brazil and internationally. Highly comparable to Bernardes in style (tropical modernism, natural materials), segment focus (luxury residential, hospitality), and award profile (Wallpaper*, Architizer, WAF).

Broad incumbents

• Renzo Piano Building Workshop: Global architecture firm specializing in cultural institutions (museums) and landmark public architecture. Comparable to Bernardes' museum and Expo Milano work, and the type of global cultural commissions Bernardes aspires to win via its Lisbon office and international competition entries.
• Olson Kundig: Seattle-based architecture firm specializing in high-end custom residential, hospitality, and cultural projects with strong material and craft emphasis. Comparable to Bernardes in luxury residential niche, material-driven design, and bespoke project model.
• Studio Gang: Chicago-based studio known for cultural institutions (museums, aquariums), high-rise residential, and sustainable design. Comparable to Bernardes in cultural institutional work, sustainability emphasis, and sculptural facade systems — but at materially larger scale and geographic reach.

Emerging players

• Studio Valence: Portugal-based contemporary architecture practice with residential and cultural projects. Comparable to Bernardes' Lisbon office presence, tropical/contemporary design sensibility, and European cultural commission aspirations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@bernardesarquitetura899/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/bernardesarq
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bernardes-arquitetura
• Instagraminstagram.com/bernardesarq
• Pinterestbr.pinterest.com/bernardesarquitetura

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bernardes Arquitetura