Brazilian Architecture Exhibition Pavilion by Leonardo Zanatta

_presented by BAB

_project: Brazilian Architecture Exhibition Pavilion
_architecture: Leonardo Zanatta Arquitetura
_location: São Paulo, Brazil

Architecture biennials have long served as moments of reflection, yet their role is increasingly shifting toward engagement. Beyond professional discourse, these events are opening new channels to connect with wider audiences, translating architectural thinking into spatial experiences that can be inhabited and understood directly. Within this context, architecture operates as a cultural mediator, capable of articulating relationships between people, places, and systems. The exhibition format evolves accordingly, privileging experience, movement, and participation as key tools for communication.

The Bienal de Arquitetura Brasileira (BAB) 2026 marks its inaugural edition, establishing a new platform dedicated to expanding the presence of architecture within public life. As a non-profit cultural initiative, the event brings together curated spaces, branded installations, and interactive programs in a continuous spatial sequence. Visitors move through a series of environments that build a clear narrative, allowing architecture to be experienced through use, perception, and atmosphere.

Located within Parque Ibirapuera in São Paulo, the biennial is organized through a combination of exterior and interior spaces. The “Pátio Metrópole” presents a series of architect-designed pavilions that reinterpret the logic of the city, hosting environments that range from domestic settings to commercial and interactive programs. In parallel, the “Pavilhão Brasil” brings together proposals from across the country, structured as a collective platform that reflects the diversity of Brazilian architectural production.

This organization operates across multiple scales, from individual spatial experiences to a broader territorial narrative. The division of content through Brazilian biomes reinforces this approach, highlighting the environmental and cultural specificities that shape architectural practice across the country. Through this lens, architecture appears as both situated and interconnected, responding to local conditions while contributing to a shared discourse.

With a strong emphasis on accessibility and public engagement, the biennial establishes a framework where professionals, brands, and audiences intersect. It creates conditions for new forms of interaction, expanding visibility and fostering dialogue across disciplines.

As a first edition, BAB 2026 introduces a renewed approach to architectural exhibitions in Brazil. It frames architecture as an active and experiential medium, capable of engaging diverse audiences while constructing narratives that resonate across scales and contexts.

_article written by Daniela Moreira da Silva
_images: Adriano Pacelli