Gru.a (grupo de arquitectos) is an office, led by Caio Calafate and Pedro Varella, based in Rio de Janeiro. Since its formation in 2013, it has developed projects and works of various scales and natures, with a special interest in the intersection between the fields of architecture and visual arts. Parallel to the work of the office, the partners of the group are dedicated to academic research and teaching.
Caio Calafate is an architect from PUC-Rio (2010) and is a doctoral student in the postgraduate program in design at the Superior School of Industrial Design of the UER. He has a master's degree in projects from PUC-Rio (2015). He has an academic extension at the Technical University of Lisbon. He was the editor of Noz magazine between 2007 and 2010. His Ctcc competed in the Archiprix 2011, a final international degree project competition. Since 2015 he has been a professor of projects in architecture and urban planning career at Santa Úrsula University.
Pedro Varella is an architect from FAU/UFRJ (2011) with academic extension at the Paris-Malaquais school of architecture and a master's degree in project theory at Pro-arq UFRJ (2016). He has complementary training at the Parque Lage School of Visual Arts (EAV-RJ), where he studied between 2007 and 2010. He is co-author of the book Rio Metropolitano: Guia para Uma Arquitetura, published in 2013 with a research grant from FAPERJ. In 2015 he won the architecture award from the Tomie Othake AkzoNobel Institute with the quota 10 Project. He is currently a professor of projects at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning at UFRJ. Since 2015 he has taught the architecture and urban planning course at the Holy University of Úrsula.
Caio Calafate is an architect from PUC-Rio (2010) and is a doctoral student in the postgraduate program in design at the Superior School of Industrial Design of the UER. He has a master's degree in projects from PUC-Rio (2015). He has an academic extension at the Technical University of Lisbon. He was the editor of Noz magazine between 2007 and 2010. His Ctcc competed in the Archiprix 2011, a final international degree project competition. Since 2015 he has been a professor of projects in architecture and urban planning career at Santa Úrsula University.
Pedro Varella is an architect from FAU/UFRJ (2011) with academic extension at the Paris-Malaquais school of architecture and a master's degree in project theory at Pro-arq UFRJ (2016). He has complementary training at the Parque Lage School of Visual Arts (EAV-RJ), where he studied between 2007 and 2010. He is co-author of the book Rio Metropolitano: Guia para Uma Arquitetura, published in 2013 with a research grant from FAPERJ. In 2015 he won the architecture award from the Tomie Othake AkzoNobel Institute with the quota 10 Project. He is currently a professor of projects at the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning at UFRJ. Since 2015 he has taught the architecture and urban planning course at the Holy University of Úrsula.
