In late 2024, the challenge was set: to design the first flagship store & gallery for Lafort, a renowned fashion brand in São Paulo. Beyond retail, the space needed to become a creative hub-
—a physical and sensorial translation of the brand’s identity. A place where design, art, fashion,
and community seamlessly intersect in an environment that is innovative, sustainable, and culturally engaged.
From the outset, the decision to locate the store on a street rather than in a shopping mall was a
conscious act of urban regeneration. Even more impactful was the choice to retrofit an existing
building instead of constructing a new one—an essential strategy to drastically reduce embodied
carbon and environmental impact. Sustainability was not an added feature but an essential foundation of the project.
The chosen site was an abandoned commercial building, shuttered for over two decades and on
the brink of demolition. What many perceived as a liability, architecture reframed as a rare opportunity: an act of regeneration. Preserving, repurposing, and transforming this structure became
not only an architectural and environmental statement but also one of the most effective ways
to minimize the project’s carbon footprint—since the most sustainable building is the one that
already exists.