GUEST EDITOR MARCIO KOGAN Portrait - EUDES DE SANTANA

Marcio Kogan has been prolific since setting up his namesake studio in São Paulo in 1978 (it was renamed Studio MK27 at the turn of the century). The 72-year-old architect has since become synonymous with contemporary Brazilian chic, offering a sumptuous blend of raw, textured materials; clean geometric forms; effortless functionality; vernacular design features; and a deep knowledge and appreciation of the rich, tropical modernist architecture legacy of his home country.

This year marks the 15th anniversary of one of Kogan's most celebrated residential works - Paraty House, winner of Best New Private House in our 2010 Wallpaper* Design Awards - a mid-career highlight that propelled him to international stardom, but a mere hint of the numerous, striking designs to follow: homes such as Flag House in Canada, Canopy House in Brazil's Atlantic Forest, and Serge Cajfinger's Bahia beach house, as well as design store Micasa's São Paulo HQ projects for Brazilian hospitality brand Fasano, the Patina Maldives' Fari Islands resort, and several furniture collections for Minotti. Yet it would be simplistic to reduce Kogan's work to just style and looks, for his buildings are profoundly experiential. Stepping into them means entering a magical world of motion, vision and sound, becoming the protagonist in a tailor-made, immaculately-designed movie feature. Kogan's background in film is perhaps a lesser-known aspect of his illustrious, thriving career, but it has always been powerfully present in his mythology, informing his architectural expression - space seen as a series of frames and feelings, as dreamy, layered, mesmerising and inspirational as the stillness and emotion of dappled light felt in the summer breeze. It is this deeply personal side of his work that he lifts the curtain on and invites us to explore through his guest editor section. Lights, camera, action...

A STAR IS BORN

The world of cinema's loss was architecture's gain when a feature film failed but a dream space creator rose from the ashes