Alec Mahar

Maria Claudia graduated in Architecture and Urbanism from FAU/UFRJ, she has been working for over 20 years on projects and overseeing their realization. Passionate about quality living, she believes that well-designed and meaningful spaces can transform lives, enhance experiences, and bring daily pleasure, finding fulfillment in bringing this change to her clients’ lives.

Maria Claudia worked with major architecture firms, the most notable being that of architect Oscar Niemeyer. In her graduation year, 1994, she was part of a team of young architects that won the Favela Bairro competition and received an honorable mention in the Vilas Cariocas competition, both held by the Rio de Janeiro city hall. After winning the competition, they founded ArquiTraço Arquitetura e Urbanismo, which has become a reference in the country for slum urbanization projects.

In 2000, she spent time in New York taking a summer course in interior planning at the prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and transitioned to the residential market. In 2020, she found her passion in Neuroarchitecture, a field that materialized her belief that spaces influence people's states of mind. She became a member of the Brazilian Academy of Neuroarchitecture, completed its two-year continuous education program, and is currently pursuing an MBA in Neuroarchitecture from the same institution. Maria Claudia participated in the Moving Boundaries event in Mexico, Amares and attended remotely MB Nordic and India. Professor in the Extension Course – Introduction to Neuroarchitecture at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC/RJ).