Declare Emergency

Joice Paixão, Maria Alice Pereira da Silva and Fernanda Accioly

The Envolvimentos (Involvements) fostered an open dialogue with social movements and diverse territories, converging on the exhibition of the 14th São Paulo International Architecture Biennial, which runs from September 18 to October 19 at OCA in Ibirapuera Park. Architects and leaders from villages, terreiros, riverside communities, and peripheral neighborhoods jointly explored architectures for inhabiting a heated world in debates that deepened the exhibition's central ideas.

Participants involved in projects across diverse territories and contexts addressing issues such as coexistence with water and floods, heritage preservation, forest protection and sustainable management, urban agriculture, mechanisms for enabling low-impact lifestyles, and the recognition of nature as a subject of rights were invited to participate in the dialogue. These are ways of inhabiting, building, perceiving, participating in, and transforming the territory.

1st Involvement – Declare Emergency

This first meeting discusses the role of architects in emergency response and disaster adaptation, both before and after events occur. It addresses living with risk, community preparedness, and interventions at urban and territorial scales.

Guests:

Joice Paixão
Associação Gris Espaço Solidário
Recife, PE, Brazil

Social scientist, researcher, social educator, conflict mediator, community therapist, Coordinator of Articulação Recife de Luta, operative of the Rede Nacional por Adaptação Antirracista, and territorial coordinator of the Rede de Governança para enfrentamento ao racismos ambiental. Co-founder and current president of the Associação Gris Espaço Solidário, which provides psychosocial support to children and families in vulnerable situations in the neighborhood of Várzea, in Recife.

Maria Alice Pereira da Silva
Morro da Pedra de Oxossi
Salvador, BA, Brazil

Lawyer, Master and PhD in Architecture and Urban Planning from UFBA (Federal University of Bahia), she is a member of the Instituto dos Advogados da Bahia and a consultant for OMPI. CEO of PX Assessoria, she works on integrating traditional knowledge and socio-environmental justice. Activist and guardian of Pedra de Xangô, she advocates for the protection of Morro da Pedra de Oxossi, a sacred site in Maraú (BA) with historical, cultural, religious, and environmental significance, currently at risk of being turned into a quarry.

Fernanda Accioly
Instituto Pólis
Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil

Architect and urban planner graduated from FAUUSP (Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, University of São Paulo), with a master's, doctorate, and post-doctorate in Habitat and Urban and Regional Planning. She has extensive experience in municipal and federal public administration. She served as Executive Secretary of the Instituto Pólis, a civil society organization that collaborated with the local community to develop the Community Plan for Civil Defense and Climate Crisis Adaptation for the Caiçara community of Ponta Negra (RJ).

Image authorship:

Image 1 – Gustavo Caboco – Download the image here

Image 2 – Guanabara Studio – Download the image here

INVOLVEMENTS

TECHNICAL SHEET

Curatorship and mediation: Marcella Arruda and Marina Frúgoli

Production: Julia Delmondes

Interns: Matheus de Sousa and Yasmin Guerra

Graphic Records: Guanabara Studio and Gustavo Caboco

We thank everyone who participated and visited the 14th São Paulo International Architecture Biennial, from September 18 to October 19, 2025

NOTE OF CONDOLENCE

With deep sorrow, the Brazilian Institute of Architects – São Paulo Department (IABsp) mourns the passing of architect and landscape architect Kongjian Yu, a global leader in ecological urbanism, and the members of his team who accompanied him, tragically killed during the filming of a documentary. The institute is honored to have had him as a participant in the 14th São Paulo International Architecture Biennial, where his transformative vision strengthened the dialogue between global challenges and local realities. IABsp emphasizes that Yu's contribution, which transcends borders, will remain an inspiration for generations and expresses its condolences to China, to the families of all the deceased, to his friends, and to all those impacted by his genius and dedication. Read the full note here.