MATTERIA is an architecture and urban design practice based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, founded by Lucas Coelho Netto.
With a multidisciplinary approach, the practice works across a range of scales and disciplines, integrating research and practice to explore the full potential of each project.
We believe that architecture and urban design have the power to positively transform people's lives by addressing our clients' needs while responding thoughtfully to the specific qualities of each context.
Founder
LUCAS COELHO NETTO holds a Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design from the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) at Columbia University and a Bachelor of Architecture and Urbanism from PUC-Rio. He is the founder of MATTERIA, an architecture and urban design practice based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. His international professional experience includes collaborations with practices in Rio de Janeiro, Porto, New York, and at the Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) in Copenhagen. In 2025, he served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Columbia GSAPP, where he co-taught the graduate urban design studio Landscapes of Repair: Guanabara Bay.
His work has been recognized through national and international competitions, most notably as the winning proposal for the C40 Reinventing Cities competition for Praça Dr. João Mendes in São Paulo, later developed in partnership with SP Urbanismo and presented at the International Union of Architects World Congress in Copenhagen. He was also awarded second place in the Charitas Waterfront competition, in collaboration with Agencia TPBA, and received an Honorable Mention for the Historic Center of Resende competition in 2025. His practice explores architecture as a catalyst for urban transformation, integrating infrastructure, landscape, and territorial strategies across multiple scales.
AWARDS
Centro Histórico de Resende - Honorable Mention
C40 Reinventing Cities São Paulo - 1st Place
Weefor Arq 2 - Shortlisted
Orla de Charitas - 2nd Place
2025
2022
2022
2021
TALKS &
EVENTS
18H PUC-Rio
UIA COPENHAGEN - Regenerative, Resilient and Equitable Built Environment
UIA SCIENCE TRACK - Em(POWER)ing Belize
AIA NY - LATITUDES: Latin American Architecture NOW
C40 WEBINAR - Transforming Public Spaces
Radio CBN - Live Interview
TV Bandeirantes - Live Interview
SP Urbanismo - C40 Reinventing Cities SP
Ser Urbano 2020 PUC-Rio
2024
2023
2023
2023
2023
2022
2022
2022
2020
COLLABORATORS
Raphael Matta (Landscape Architect)
Eduarda Abud (Landscape Architect)
Larissa Monteiro (Architect)
Federica Linares (Architect)
Ishaan Kumar (Landscape Architect)
Augusto Zamperlini (Architect)
Carolina Quintella (Architect)
Julia Pithan (Engineer)
Rodrigo Agueda (Sociologist)
Petros Terra (Architect)
Alessandro Zanini (Architect)
Raphael Carneiro (Architect)
Antonio Mauricio (Designer)
Francisco Escobar (Engineer)
Diego Portas (Architect)
Agencia TPBA
Sistemas Urbanos
Ecomimesis
Luz Urbana
Nova Engenharia
FQEP
Anexo 50
Local Office
BlAC Arquitetura e Cidade
Bassan Arquitetura
Cabiúna
Alcance Construtora
Gávea Arquitetos
METHODOLOGY &
PRINCIPLES
01
We believe architecture and urban design are means of positively shaping everyday life and the built environment through thoughtful, effective, and responsible interventions. Each project is an opportunity to propose more equitable ways of inhabiting space while engaging with local histories, cultures, and knowledge.
02
Architecture is only fully realized when it is inhabited. We design structures that can accommodate change, embrace unforeseen uses, and remain open to future reinterpretations—understanding architecture as an infrastructure for human interaction.
03
Our process begins with careful observation: the physical environment, social dynamics, ecological conditions, our clients' aspirations, and the latent potential of each site. We test ideas through physical models, drawings, simulations, and visual narratives.
04
In the face of today's climate and social challenges, sustainability, inclusion, and accessibility are not secondary considerations but fundamental design principles. We create spaces that respond to diverse bodies, ages, and ways of living.
