Marcelo Alves

A Brazilian architect leading the green building revolution in tropical climates through affordable eco-friendly designs.

Marcelo Alves (b. 1972) is a Brazilian architect whose work redefines sustainable construction in tropical regions. Based in São Paulo, he founded Urbano Ecológico, a firm specializing in low-cost, high-impact ecological housing. His designs use locally sourced materials like bamboo and recycled plastics, reducing construction costs by 30% while maintaining structural integrity. Alves' Eco Casa prototype won the 2018 World Architecture Festival Award for affordable housing. He has built over 200 homes in favelas using his 'Zero Waste Construction' method, which integrates rainwater harvesting and solar panels. His advocacy for biophilic design in urban areas influenced Brazil's 2020 National Housing Policy. Alves collaborated with UN-Habitat on a project to retrofit 500 schools in the Amazon basin with eco-friendly infrastructure. His TEDx talk 'Building Tomorrow Today' has been translated into 12 languages. Alves' work aligns with UN SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities) and 13 (Climate Action). He was a finalist for the 2021 Pritzker Prize for Social Impact Architecture.