Design-with-ClimateSpace, Ecology, Experience
OFICINAA is an award-winning practice specialized in design for climatic adaptation. Working at the intersection of landscape architecture and urban design, the projects range from small to large-scale interventions. The work prioritizes aesthetic experience, thermal safety, biodiversity enhancement, and innovative approaches—promoting local resources and community well-being. Operating for over 10 years, the practice merges the rigor of academic research, with innovation, construction know-how and coordination with the various stakeholders. This includes a closer articulation with the local authorities in response to the growing demands for climatic adaptation measures and nature-based design. Silvia Benedito and Alexander Häusler were the founding partners of OFICINAA. In 2023, the company transitioned from a GmbH to an individual enterprise based in Cambridge and Lisbon
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Dr. Silvia Benedito
Silvia Benedito is a landscape architect, architect, and urban designer with extensive experience developing private and public projects across scales. For nearly 15 years, she was a faculty member in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), where she played a pivotal role in advancing curriculum and design strategies for climate adaptation in urban and rural territories. A registered practitioner in Portugal and Germany, Benedito was a Senior Associate at James Corner Field Operationsin New York, contributing to landmark projects such as the High Line Park. She is also the author of the award-winning book Atmosphere Anatomies: On Design, Weather, and Sensation (Lars Müller, 2022), featuring photography by Iwan Baan.
Most recently, she co-founded OficinaAcademy, a design-driven nonprofit fostering rural entrepreneurship, environmental education, and collaborative innovation.
More recently, she co-founded OficinaAcademy, a design-based nonprofit dedicated to rural entrepreneurship, promoting projects in environmental education and co-creation initiatives.
Vita
2024 PhD University of Coimbra/ ETH Zürich
2024 Co-Founder OficinaAcademy NGO
2022 Book Award Architectural Innovation and Sustainability, Lisbon Portugal
2018 Finalist MoMA Young Architect Program, NYC USA
2005-2010 Senior Associate at James Corner Field Operations, NYC USA
2008 Fernando Távora Prize, Oporto Portugal
2004 Master Architecture and Urban Design, Graduate School of Design, Harvard GSD
2000 Architecture Degree, University of Coimbra, Portugal
Since 2011 Professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD), Cambridge USA
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Recognition
2024 Special Guest Speaker
New European Bauhaus Festival Opening Cerimony, Brussels
2022 Atmosphere Anatomies: On Design, Weather, and Sensation
Book Award for Architectural Innovation and Sustainability
2021 NEW ATMOSPHERES Exhibition
Architekturgalerie, Munich
2018 Finalist MoMA Young Architects Program
New York
2017 Landscape Tuning Exhibition
Architekturgalerie München
2016 American Architecture Prize, Silver Prize Winner
Healthcare Architecture - LIVE WORK HELP
2016 Thermodynamic Interactions: An Exploration into Physiological, Material, and Territorial Atmospheres
Book Award III Spanish Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism
2016 Architizer A+Awards, Special Mention
LIVE WORK HELP
2014 Pamphlet Architecture - Honorable Mention
Princeton Press, Princeton, PA
2013 Donaulände Ingolstadt Competition, 3. Prize
Re-Structuring the Donau Riveredges at the city center (G)
2012 EUROPAN 11 Competition International Young Architects Award, Finalist
International Young Architects Award - former oil refinery site in Ingolstadt (G)
2011 Brewery Area INGOBRÄU, Pre-qualified Competiton, 1. Prize
Re-Structuring of an inner city quater in Ingolstadt (G)
2010 ARCHITIZER CC2010, Honorable Mention
International Competition for Un-built Competitions, German unification Memorial, Berlin (G)
2010 BIENNALE DE VENEZIA, Contribution
Albanian Pavillion at the Architectural Biennale
2010 EUROPAN 10 Competition, 1. Prize
International Young Architects Award, New Neighborhood and Avenue, Lisbon (PT)
2008 EUROPAN 9 Competition, 1. Prize
International Young Architects Award, Collective Housing, Odivelas (PT)
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Contacts
Portugal
OFICINAA, Sociedade Unipessoal
Travessa do Giestal, n.59, 2.Esq.
1300-277 Lisboa
P: +351 93 6483 793
P: +49 171 2233 529
hello@oficinaa.net
USA
OFICINAA, LLC
28 Leonard Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139
P: +1 617 230 5391