About

“Denis Joelsons proposes an architecture built through attentive listening and sensitive observation—qualities that place his work in a field where design is not a formula, but a process of discovery.

Since 2012, his practice has spanned various scales and languages, moving between architecture, lighting design, and object design. This breadth, however, does not dilute his rigor; on the contrary, it reinforces a way of working grounded in the integration of place, material, and light. By avoiding the repetition of formal solutions, Joelsons upholds an ethics of detail and relevance, where each work emerges from the specificity of its context, seeking to turn limitations into a creative driving force.

Rather than imposing a model, his architecture explores relationships. The initial line does not stem from a preconceived idea, but from listening—to time and territory—a listening that translates into proportion, site placement, material choices, and assembly techniques. The way a piece of glass is fixed, for example, is not merely a technical solution: it is a response to conditions of wind, light, and landscape. In this way, his work cultivates an experimental and intuitive dimension, where drawing serves as a tool for understanding rather than control.

It is an architecture that does not present itself as an autonomous object, but as a silent mediator between nature, construction, and everyday life.“

Clarissa Schneider

Denis Joelsons is a master in the history and fundamentals of architecture and urbanism from FAUUSP, São Paulo (2017). He is the author of the book “Architecture and Mourning in the work of Adolf Loos.” He taught the course “Introduction to Brazilian Modern Architecture” at MASP (2020). He taught architectural design at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of Santos FAUS – Unisantos (2018-2019), in the PAE (Teaching Improvement Program) in the Art History department of the undergraduate Design program at FAUUSP (2016). He graduated in architecture and urbanism from the Escola da Cidade (2010), where he worked as an assistant professor (2011-2014). He was part of the curatorial and research teams of the X São Paulo Architecture Biennial (2013), curated by Guilherme Wisnik, and the exhibition “The Insides are on the Outside” (2012), which focused on the work of Lina Bo Bardi and was curated by Hans Ulrich Olbrist. He has collaborated with various architecture firms in São Paulo and has had his own office since 2014.

denis@denisjoelsons.com