Brazilian architecture practice MACh Arquitetos, in collaboration with Mobio Arquitetura’s Gabriel Castro, have recently completed the Emporium Nanak, a retail space with a small cafe in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Seeking to encourage a healthy, balanced lifestyle, the project combines exposure and concealment of products on sale. A fixed, oblique permits full vision of the products for incoming visitors, concealing them when viewed from the opposite angle. “This feature guarantees a certain tranquility and silence, making the space more enjoyable for those who want to have a tea in the centre table”, state the architects.

The products display grid allows for flexibility of use and adaptability: horizontal supports can be added at all times, subdividing pre-existing modules. This solution provides unity to a varied range of products on sale.
The panels that clad the walls reference Nanak Emporium’s logo, which in turn references in the iconography present at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, a shrine of Sikhism — the space was named after Guru Nanak Dev, a reference among practitioners of Sikhism.


Location: Avenida Bandeirantes, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Architects: MACh Arquitetos – Fernando Maculan and Mariza Machado Coelho
Associate architect: Gabriel Castro (Mobio Arquitetura)
Graphics: Designlândia
Contractor: Armtec
Carpentry and joinery: Marcenaria Londrina
Completion: 2012
Area: 40 square metres


Time Space Existence: the Future of Architecture In Venice
Until November 23, 2025, Venice is the global hub for architectural discussion with "Time Space Existence." This biennial exhibition, spearheaded by the European Cultural Centre, features projects from 52 countries, all focused on "Repairing, Regenerating, and Reusing" for a more sustainable future.