Studio Guilherme Torres
Project: A MATA
Project: A MATA
Altos do Segredo, Trancoso (Bahia)
"The secret is inserting an architecture that respects the place, the topography, and tells a real story of the local lifestyle. A more relaxed and stripped-down way. The charm is precisely in the fact that the village remains with this untouched aura and of not having been urbanized."
—Guilherme Torres
View A MATA
A regular visitor to Trancoso since the 1990s, Guilherme Torres wanted to present an architecture that would challenge people's imagination with the A MATA development. For him, a standard type of beach building already exists when you think about the place, so he went after the segredo (secret) that lends its name to the neighborhood, to break the mystery. He wanted the environment to blend in with his lines, since the development exudes architecture from the inside out, as it is completely embedded in nature.
A kinesthetic, the architect says that each place has its scent, awakes other senses, and has its own story—whether due to the environmental preservation area, the sound of the sea, or because it reflects the cliffs. "For me, good architecture is that which transmits uniqueness and you think: it was made for that space," he adds.
When he designs a new space, he likes to think like a host, imagining what the experience of visiting, staying a while, or living will be like. He jokes that he doesn't do what the client asks for, but what they desire. "What factor maximizes this experience when you are there?" From there he starts to draw his lines, balancing what is possible from the imagination.
Studio Guilherme Torres
Interested in new discoveries and technologies, the namesake studio of Guilherme Torres develops projects on different fronts: from architecture to furniture, from visual identity to scenography. His signature is in the originality and authorship of the lines. He and his team like being challenged to create spatial solutions and apply different techniques when carrying out projects, whether its buildings, interiors, or product design. His differential? Combining traditional elements, offering new functionality.