Hunter International Forum offers 14 sessions with architects from several countries in São Paulo

Illustration of the Memorial da América Latina complex in São Paulo, designed by Oscar Niemeyer, host of the second Hunter International Forum. (Architecture Hunter)

Second edition features simultaneous interpretation, livestream and visits to firms and construction sites

By Samuel Navarro Serpa

SÃO PAULO — Architecture Hunter has confirmed the full program for Hunter International Forum 2026, known as HIF 2026. It takes place Tuesday, Sept. 29, and Wednesday, Sept. 30, from 8:45 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., at the Simon Bolívar Auditorium in the Memorial da América Latina in São Paulo. Fourteen sessions are on the program, including lectures, panels and the announcement of the finalists for the Architecture Hunter Awards 2026. Professionals from Brazil, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the United States, Denmark, Ghana, Paraguay and Portugal are taking part.

Simultaneous interpretation between Brazilian Portuguese and English will be available in every session, and the event will be livestreamed for people in other countries. Tickets are available for either day, for both days or for the livestream, and are on sale through the forum’s website.

Designed by Oscar Niemeyer, the Memorial da América Latina hosts the forum’s second edition. According to the organizers, the event seeks to put international and local perspectives in dialogue and give Latin America a platform to discuss and celebrate design. Held in August 2025 at the São Paulo Museum of Art, the first edition drew hundreds of architects, designers and thinkers over two days of programming.

Tuesday, Sept. 29

Seven sessions alternate Latin American speakers and guests from other regions. At 9 a.m., the finalists for the Architecture Hunter Awards 2026 are announced.

Brazilian architect Arthur Casas speaks at 10 a.m. on “In the First Person: Research, Practice and Innovation.” He founded Studio Arthur Casas in 1990 and the IACAI institute in 2024.

Mexican architect Tatiana Bilbao, of the studio that bears her name, presents “De la Mesa a la Ciudad” (“From the Table to the City”) at 11 a.m. She takes a socially engaged and humanist approach. Since 2004, she has integrated research, design, community strategies and responsible construction, and she is a professor at Yale University.

After lunch, architects Luis Andre Guedes and Pablo do Vale, of Guá Arquitetura, speak at 2 p.m. on “Design and Architecture as Social Impact.” Rooted in the Amazon, the firm was listed among the 50 most influential in 2024 and 2025 and researches vernacular riverside housing and ancestral knowledge.

Manoela Machado and Pedro Lira, of Natureza Urbana, present “Living Spaces for Regenerative Futures” at 3 p.m. Natureza Urbana is an international consultancy that integrates architecture, environment, infrastructure and strategic planning in the Americas, Africa and the Middle East.

Following a 30-minute break, Gehl People senior project manager Rute Nieto Ferreira speaks at 4:30 p.m. on “Public Space, Public Life.” She has two decades of experience in neighborhoods, public spaces and child-focused urbanism in the United Kingdom, Sweden, Portugal and the United States.

Thomas Heatherwick, the British founder of Heatherwick Studio, closes the day at 5:30 p.m. with “Humanise,” a campaign for more joyful and humane cities. Arqos presents the session.

Wednesday, Sept. 30

Another seven sessions fill the day.

Perkins&Will Miami design director Pat Bosch opens the program at 9 a.m. Her work combines a humanist and environmentally responsible approach with careful analysis of programs.

Solano Benítez, founder of Jopói de Arquitectura in Paraguay, presents “El Lugar de La Arquitectura” (“The Place of Architecture”) at 10 a.m. He received the Golden Lion at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2016 and UNESCO’s Global Award in 2021, and he is known for experimenting with materials.

At 11 a.m., the panel “Preserving Legacies” brings together representatives of the institutes that keep alive the memory of Brazilian modernism: Bruno Simões, curator at the Lina Bo Bardi Institute; Isabela Ono, executive director of the Burle Marx Institute; and Marco Artigas, president of the Virgínia & Vilanova Artigas Institute. Journalist and design editor Ana Paula de Assis, of POP-SE, moderates.

Fernando Forte, Lourenço Gimenes and Rodrigo Marcondes Ferraz, architects with the São Paulo firm FGMF Arquitetos, present “Context, Transition and Tectonics” at 2 p.m., after lunch.

Portuguese architects Luís and Tiago Rebelo de Andrade take part in a panel at 3 p.m. Their firm has more than 40 years of experience and works in landscape design, heritage and cultural continuity.

Kofi Bio, CEO of Adjaye Associates Accra in Ghana, presents “Our Most Abundant Material: Building for a Changing Planet” at 4:30 p.m. He leads projects across the African continent focused on sustainable development and the use of advanced technologies combined with vernacular references.

Bjarke Ingels Group partner Kai-Uwe Bergmann closes the forum at 5:30 p.m. with “Materialism.” He coordinates the international offices of the firm, which has projects in more than 40 countries.

Exclusive experiences

Beyond the two main days, the forum offers selected visits to offices and projects.

On Sept. 28, Adam Kurdahl of SPOL Architects leads a visit to Cidade Matarazzo.

Studio MK27 opens its doors to visitors on Sept. 28 and Oct. 1.

Hayato Fujii of Kengo Kuma and Associates and FGMF guide the visit to Japan House on Oct. 1.

Jacobsen Arquitetura hosts participants at its office and at a construction site on Oct. 2. On the same date, Sol Camacho guides the group through Alma Mater, with a presentation by Alfa Realty.

Tickets for several of the visits are sold out.

Sponsorship

Coral and Deca present HIF 2026. Premium sponsors are Arqos, Barts&Co, Líder and Portinari, and supporters are Arkos, Blue3 Heaven and Duratex.

Juliana Zaponi, communications and color manager for decorative paints at AkzoNobel Latin America, which owns Coral, said the event’s growth in its second edition reinforces the importance of creating spaces that bring professionals together and broaden the debate on architecture. She said that for a brand close to architects, interior designers and specifiers (professionals who define the products used in construction projects), supporting the forum adds value to the market.

Dexco marketing and design director Marina Crocomo said being at HIF means actively taking part in discussions about the future of the sector. She said bringing together the Deca, Portinari and Duratex brands, all owned by the company, allows spaces to be viewed in an integrated way, with innovation, aesthetics, functionality and well-being.

Who organizes and who supports

Founded in 2013, Architecture Hunter is a digital media platform that began as an Instagram page and now includes a website, a YouTube channel, a social media presence and in-person experiences. Its pillars are to inspire, inform, entertain and educate. HIF is the platform’s annual gathering.

With almost 80 years of history, Deca describes itself as the largest maker of bathroom ceramics and metal fittings in the Southern Hemisphere and a leader in the Brazilian market. It exports to four continents and is part of Dexco, a brand house in the construction, renovation and decoration sector. Deca runs the Prêmio Deca, now in its 29th edition, which recognizes names in architecture and interior design and also introduces new talent.

Present in more than 150 countries, AkzoNobel, founded in 1792, makes paints and coatings. Besides Coral, its brands include International, Sikkens and Interpon.