Limiar by Três Arquitetura

Brasília, Brazil, 2026 – For the third time, the firm Três Arquitetura is taking part in CASACOR Brasília, the largest architecture and decoration exhibition in Latin America. In this edition, architects Vinícius Alano and Luciano Pena designed the space “Limiar,” the exhibition’s ticket booth, conceived as an experience in itself, welcoming visitors in a theatrical way and setting the tone for the immersive atmosphere of the event.

Seen by most visitors simply as a passage point, the ticket booth was designed around that natural movement, creating scenic sightlines for both those arriving and those leaving the exhibition.

Known for their affirmative use of color, the architects drew on the space’s own geometry, long and narrow, to create a scenic vanishing point at the back: a sculpture that draws the eye and organizes the room into two zones. On one side, flooring and curtains in shades of blue form a frame that guides the gaze. On the other, shades of red set the circulation area apart from the seating area.

This division connects with this year’s exhibition theme, “Mind and Heart,” and translates into architecture the Apollonian and Dionysian impulses proposed by Nietzsche: blue as reason and individuality, red as affect and collective communion.

“Our biggest challenge, which was also our main differentiator, was creating an architecture capable of competing for the visitor’s attention. At the ticket booth, people tend to be on autopilot, focused on practical matters like identification, questions and tickets. We wanted the project to capture that distracted gaze, bringing the person’s attention back to the present moment and to the space around them,” says architect Vinícius Alano.

Solid surfaces feature a wall texture applied in the two colors that divide the space, along with the dolomitic marble that structures the counter. The project’s main role, however, belongs to the textiles: four types of velvet used in panels, upholstery and curtains soften the coldness of the transition space and improve acoustic comfort, a made to measure hand loomed rug completes the palette, and leather upholstery on the armchairs rounds out the composition.

Art curation also played a central role in shaping the space. At the architects’ invitation, Brasília based visual artist Maria Porto created an exclusive piece for the space, installed behind the reception counter. It depicts a dreamlike scene marked by vegetation and the symbolic figure of a white peacock, evoking nature and the unconscious. For the piece, she developed a small scale oil painting, digitized and printed on velvet, resulting in a continuous panel nearly nine meters long.

“This is the great magic of collaborating with other creative minds: Maria Porto’s intervention turned what would have been simply a textile covering into a window onto a universe of dreams, a work that engages with the space and becomes inseparable from the environment it was meant to complement,” adds architect Luciano Pena.

The choice of sustainable materials was also a commitment for the firm: reusable or recyclable pieces, with no waste generated during installation and intended for use beyond the exhibition. Dolomitic marble slabs, furniture, lighting fixtures and the large amount of fabric, including the velvet panel and curtains, were specified and installed in ways that preserve their integrity for resale afterward.

“Our project doesn’t take a side. Instead, it materializes the poetic tension between the mind that individualizes and the heart that merges us into a whole,” conclude the architects.

Event information 34th CASACOR Brasília

Visiting hours: Tuesday to Friday, 3pm to 10pm. Saturdays and holidays, 12pm to 10pm. Sundays, 12pm to 9pm.

Três Arquitetura was founded by Luciano Pena and Vinicius Alano, architects from Minas Gerais who graduated from the Federal University of Uberlândia and have been based in Brasília for 17 years. With strong demand in residential architecture, the firm also has extensive experience in commercial projects, offices and clinics. In the exhibitions they take part in, they are known for bold, irreverent projects: unusual solutions, spaces that tell stories, and attention to detail that makes the result worth the visit.

Vinicius Alano studied Theory, Criticism and History of Art at UnB and is interested in the interactions and dialogues between the production of spaces and the many forms of artistic expression. He favors spatial solutions that are simple, synthetic and elegant, and finds inspiration in pop culture.

Luciano Pena, a specialist in Sustainable Environmental Rehabilitation in Architecture and Urban Planning from UnB, has followed a varied academic path, including scientific research and restoration projects tied to cultural heritage. He maintains a deep interest in housing and ways of living, is detail oriented and meticulous, and finds inspiration in film and travel.