Catologue Booklet of

Lina Bo Bardi
 CONTENTS PAGE

Architect ID Card page 1

Cross - Cultural Contexts The 10 Representative Buildings page 2 - 3
Essay on Historical Context, Main
ARC20003 Influences, Design Approach page 4 - 5
Valadia Pori 103990065 Analysis and Plans of The Glass House page 6 - 7
MRP PART B – CATALOGUE BOOKLET Analysis and Plans of the SESC Pompeia page 8 - 9
Analysis and Plans of the MASP page 10- 11
Exhibition name: Lina Bo Bardi, Modernism
Bibliography page 12
and Leisure
Lina Bo Bardi – ID Card List of 10 Representative Buildings
Name of Lina Bo Bardi 1. The Glass House, 1951, Sao Paulo, residential house
Architect/s: Description: Lina designed this house for her and her husband when she
Place of birth: Rome, Italy arrived in Brazil and lived in it for 40 years.
Life span: 1914-1992 Rationale: It is a very iconic piece of modern architecture created by Lina Bo
Education: Graduated from College of Architecture in Rome in 1939 with Bardi and its overall vibe and aesthetic goes very well with its environment in
a degree in architecture. the forest and particular position on the hill which the overall structure is
Historical Just as she graduated from College of Architecture in Rome, supported by the poles (pilotis).
context: she moved to Milan with fellow architect Carlo Pagani, and 2. MASP, 1956, Sao Paulo, museum
both founded their studio ‘Studio Bo e Pagani’. In 1943, Description: It is a museum of art that hosts art exhibitions and provides
Allied bombers launched air raid causing her to abandon her education on art for schools and the aim for this project was to create a
job. In 1946 she moved back to Rome and met and married ‘living museum’.
her husband Pietro Maria Bardi. Later in the year, they moved Rationale: fascinating on its engineering as it has only four pillars that hold
to Brazil due to post-war difficulties. the entire structure. Looking at it from afar, the red pillars contrast with the
Type of work: She designed furniture, jewellery, temporary exhibitions, rest of the building, which is cement, in which allows the public to be
theatre sets and buildings. appalled by its design.
Locations: Although she was born in Italy most of her works are in Brazil, 3. Solar do Unhao, 1969, Salvador, Bahia, museum
more specifically in Sao Paulo, Salvador, and Sao Vicente. Description: Originally from the 18th century, the complex used to be a
Main influences: In the early stages of her career, she was often influenced by sugar shipment point. Lina preserved and redesigned the complex to be a
the Brazilian culture and vernacular language and often museum having exhibitions and changing display of Avant – Garde works.
inspiring her to use local materials. Rationale: The exterior has a very classical traditional architectural style look
Another major influence could be her living during the war to it in contrast to the interior, which is renovated, new and modern.
and seeing the country fall apart physically and politically. 4. SESC Pompeia, 1982, Sao Paulo, community centre
She saw her family and friends abandon their homes and due Description: A sports and cultural centre which was previously a barrel
to this in the later stages of her career she created spaces factory in the 1920s and aim was to preserve the structure and so Lina did
from abandoned spaces. this by reconstructing interior spaces and adding two towers and
Overall design In her work she focused on modernism. Living in Bahia, Brazil, footbridges that connects them.
approach and/or it affected her way of creating architecture with the depiction Rationale: Overall the structure consists of nearly all the main materials Lina
style: of the cultural and native architecture. She created simple teds to use in her works such as cement, wood, glass, etc. The colour pallete
designs using local materials popular in Brazilian architecture. of greys and reds also is seen in many of her works tending to be the
She called this approach ‘Arquiteture Povera’. From there she signature use of hers.
started to conserve historic buildings with high value to the 5. Teatro Oficina, 1984, Sao Paulo, theatre
culture. Many of her works tend to be spaces of leisure, sports Description: Used to be an office space but Lina reconstructed it to be a
spaces, or art related centres. theatre space. She aimed to bring into the space the outdoor street look,
done by the scaffoldings and dark blue colour, giving the actual feeling of a
Predominant Lina used reinforced concrete, glass, and timber. The most
street.
materials they common colour palette she used in her works are, grey, red,
work with: and beige. Rationale: In contrast to a traditional theatre, this one eliminates the
boundary of the performers to the spectators and allows them to be closer.

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 This is done from the street look and feeling, where in relations to a real Essay on Historical Context, Main Influences, Design
street there’s no boundary between people.
6. Restaurant Coati, 1987, Salvador, Bahia, restaurant Approach
Description: Used to be a restaurant but today is left abandoned, made from
mortar, and consists of amoeba shaped windows. An Italian-born architect that came from Rome and ended up as a Brazilian
Rationale: In terms of the environment and trees, this reminds me of a architect, from the era of 1950 – 1990s. Being a woman and going into
traditional Brazilian house street, with everything being close to each other, architecture was challenging for her being in a male-dominated career.
the stone road, and the inclusion of trees. Specifically, the vertical mortar Graduating from Rome College in 1939, she moved to Milan to work with
form texture on the exterior closely looks like a bricks roof of a Brazilian
Carlo Pagani. Couple years later she opened her very own architectural
house.
studio. Unfortunately, due to war in Italy she had to abandon her job
7. Casa do Benin, 1987, Salvador Brazil, historic centre
temporary and to make more income she became as magazine illustrator.
Description: The Afro - Brazilian house, contains multiple spaces dedicated
to African and Brazilian relations. This is done promoting Bahian artists, When aerial bombing destroyed her studio, this triggered her to join the
having exhibitions, lectures, events, etc. Italian Communist Party, with Pagani and Federico Pallatani, where they
Rationale: Common materials such as stones, wood and cement are seen in travelled the country and documented what the country suffered due to war.
the interior of it giving it a homey vibe and allowing visitors to feel calm. Being in the party she eventually met her husband Pietro Maria Bardi who
Also, the exterior has the same vertical form texture as the Restaurant Coati, was a critic and art historian, they later moved to Brazil due to post-war
in which hints a touch of Lina is left on this project. difficulties.
8. Valeria P. Cirell House, 1958, Sao Paulo, residential house
Description: Only 300 meters from The Glass House, it is a structure that A new life in Brazil, Lina became an enthusiast of Brazilian culture and
blends and matches nicely with the environment.
architecture. The connection of building and culture was an important
Rationale: The walls are covered in small stones and ceramic fragments in
aspect of her architectural works. Reconstruction and preservation is not the
which allows for vegetation to grow, this creates an interesting look as it is
the centre for vegetation growth. Lina mainly focusing on modernism, this same for Lina. Preservation is something she highly valued and often
creative idea allow the house to be admired and gives it character. practiced in her works, keeping old elements of sites and buildings, adding
9. Museum on the Seashore, 1951, Sao Vicente, museum on them to acquire the way she designed her projects and having a
Description: Elevated into the air above water help up by ten pillars, this personalised touch of her, kind of like a trademark. Many of her works are
structure has a very minimal and simple design. old, preserved buildings, in which she helped maintain their condition and
Rationale: Multiple structures created from Lina tend to be elevated off the built on to their physical appearance if she wished to. Living during war
ground but particularly this one is above the water. It allows for visitors to living her life was very limiting due to political circumstances, she saw her
have a different experience when visiting this museum being above the own family and friends leave their homes, left ‘abandoned’. The desire she
water.
once wished to have a normal happy life without war tends to thrive from this
10. Chame – Chame House, 1964, Salvador, Bahia, residential house
point of her life, and is later seen as taking old, abandoned spaces and bring
Description: Built around a jackfruit tree and has a similar raising volume just
like The Glass House has. Unfortunately, due to real estate market issues, it life into them. Particularly, many of her projects consist of theatrical
was demolished in 1984. performance spaces, leisure centres, cultural activities areas and residential
Rationale: The exterior walls blend in with the bushes making them appear as homes.
if they have moss on them. Overall, the exterior look makes it unique coming
from Linas projects as it has a creative look to it.
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As an architect, Lina interested in modernism and advocated for what she Analysis on The Glass House
called ‘Arquitetura Pobre’ which means simple architecture. This technique
consisted of the use of natural materials such as glass, timber and traditional The Glass House, Lina Bo Bardi, and her husband’s first home in Brazil, was
building methods which followed by simple, humble, restrained modernism built in 1951 in Sao Paulo. It measures, 17 meters in length, 9.8 meters in
and that it reflected Brazilian culture. Although many of her works tend to be width, 3.2 meters in height and an area of 7000 square meters. It has two
pleasing to the human eye, she was more a practical architect rather than an floors that are inside the main volume of the home that is help up by columns
aesthetic one. She focused on the function of her works, how users would which are on a slope of a hill, above the vegetation. The predominant
move around a space, associating the projects with lifestyles of the people. materials used are glass and metal.
In many cases this is seen, and one is the SESC Pompeia. When visiting the
Before building The Glass House, the land was a ‘uninhabited countryside’ at
site, she saw locals using it for cultural activities and leisure spaces, she
the time, even the vegetation the house hovers above, it was planted by Lina,
didn’t want to disturb their routine so she worked around their needs and and it was the first residence in the neighbourhood. The façade being
what would attract people to visit her works. entirely of glass, satisfies the standards of Modern Movement in Brazil in the
1950s, which had Brazil as a main influence of modern architecture at the
time. Of all time, The Glass House is an iconic piece of modern and Brazilian
architecture, due to its very minimal ornamentation and use of popular
Brazilian architectural materials.

Being an immigrant to Brazil, Lina was inspired by the Brazilian culture. In

terms of architecture, it consisted of very simple ornamentation and exterior
design which is very visibly seen in the residence.

Approaching this project, the exterior four façades, have very minimal details,
mostly made of glass, with a view of above the hill and staring into the forest.
The main volume of the house is held up by columns that beautifully blend in
very well with the background of the tall and small in width trees, making it
appear as the house is floating above the ground on its own. The way this is
done limits a lot of details and elements the house could have. The entry of it
is through the stairs located in the middle, just below the house and near the
tree that grows out the middle of the structure.

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The Glass House Plans
Analysis on SESC Pompeia

SESC Pompeia was built in 1982 located in Sao Paulo and is a community
centre, consisting of swimming pool, football field and theatre. It has five
floors, and the two towers are part of the new addition Lina added to the old
barrel factory. They are made of reinforced concrete and rustic seen and are
connected by eight footbridges that are 25 meters in length. The third
cylinder tower is 75 meters in height and acts as a landmark to be seen from
afar.

This work, used to be former barrel factory that was originally built in the
1920s. In early 1980s Lina finished working on the project of SESC Pompeia,
The Glass House, Site Plan at the same time Brazil went out of a dictatorship and into a democracy.

At first, Lina wanted to bring it back to life, without demolishing it and

preserving its original structure. When she visited the site, she noted that
locals from the neighbourhood had occupied the spaces, using them for
leisure, cultural practices, and sports activities. She did not want to disturb
the way the people used the space, so she managed to turn it into a ‘leisure
centre’, that invites all sorts of people to have a little fun in ‘a sad city’.

When approaching this project and noting the way locals used the space,
she wanted to keep the same activities going without changing its concept
The Glass House, Floor Plan The Glass House, Floor Plan
to its neighbourhood and how it was used. The building consisting of variety
of activities, Lina approached another issue which was that the building had
groundwater. Because of this, the space wanting to use was limited and
concluded to add two towers, connecting with eight vertical footbridges.
She stripped the original buildings to expose their original structure and
when adding the two concrete towers she also added amoeba shaped
windows and how she also referred to them as ‘Spanish civil war holes’ which
refers back to Brazilian architecture.

The Glass House, Section The Glass House, Section

rigidity 7 8
SESC Pompeia Plans Analysis on MASP

The Sao Paulo Museum of Art (MASP) was built in 1956 in Sao Paulo. It is a
rectangular structure that hover 8.5 meters above ground with four red
pillars hold up its 10 000 square meter volume and is roughly 70 meters in
length.

Being built in the 1950s technology was although progressing but not as
much the 70-meter structure was the largest in the world of the time

Influencing this project, Lina wanted to create a space for a museum that
provided atmosphere. She wanted openness within the walls of the space to
allow people to think and move freely within the circulation to enjoy the art
SESC Pompeia, Elevation SESC Pompeia, Section
at their own pace that is presented. She wanted to strive away from neatness
and chronologically displaying art as art can be very subjective.

The way this influence is shown within the walls of the building is the large
rectangular volume having little to no disruptions such as walls or divided
rooms. Lina particularly wanted to eliminate the traditional hanging art on
the wall and came up with her iconic glass easels. They present the art on a
glass panel, from afar appear as it is floating, limiting the elements within the
space, and conveying the idea of ‘openness’ and moving freely within the
spaces. Taking the artworks off the wall it allowed for her to have windows all
around the structure again giving the style of modernism and simplicity
within her design. She wasn’t a fan of displaying work chronologically so she
randomly placed the art works just so viewers can be in shock and be caught
off guard.

SESC Pompeia, Floor Plan

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MASP Plans Bibliography:
- Elizabeth Andrade. 2019. People Theatre Teatro Oficina By Lina Bo Bardi.
https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/people-theater-teatro-oficina-lina-bo-bardi

- Albaa Calabozo. Lina Bo Bardi – Life and Works.

https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/article/lina-bo-bardi-life-and-works/

- Eleanor Gibson. 2015. "Lina Bo Bardi’s “radical” glass easels revived for exhibition of Brazilian art." (“Lina
Bo Bardi’s “radical” glass easels revived for exhibition of ...”)
https://www.dezeen.com/2015/10/29/lina-bo-bardi-glass-easel-revived-exhibition-brazilian-art-sao-paulo-
museum-of-art/

- Lima, Zeuler R. M. de A. 2013. Lina Bo Bardi. United Kingdom: Yale University Press.

- Deckker, Z.Q. (2001). Brazil Built: The Architecture of the Modern Movement in Brazil (1st ed.). Taylor &
Francis.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315011325

- ArchEyes. 2016. Glass House / Lina Bo Bardi.

https://archeyes.com/glass-house-lina-bo-bardi/.

- Arch Eyes. 2022. SESC Pompéia Factory in Sao Paulo / Lina Bo Bardi
MASP, Site Plan https://archeyes.com/sesc-pompeia-factory-lina-bo-bardi-architecture-sao-paulo/.

- https://www.archdaily.com/878754/ad-classics-teatro-oficina-lina-bo-bardi-and-edson-elito

- https://arch.umd.edu/sites/default/files/docs/events/LINA%20BO%20BARDI%20BIOGRAPHIES_0.pdf

- https://www.casatigallery.com/designers/lina-bo-bardi/

- https://hgallery.com/lina-bo-bardi

- Artafrica. 2018. Architecture for Change.

MASP, Floor Plan https://www.artafricamagazine.org/architecture-for-change/

- https://www.larchitecturedaujourdhui.fr/?attachment_id=73060&lang=en

- https://arquitecturaviva.com/works/sesc-fabrica-pompeia-9

- https://architectuul.com/architecture/sao-paulo-museum-of-art

- https://architectuul.com/architecture/sao-paulo-museum-of-art

- Casey Lesser. 2017. Inside Legendary Architect Lina Bo Bardi’s Glass Hideaway in a Brazilian
Jungle (“Lina Bo Bardi Glass House : Inside Legendary Architect Lina Bo Bardi S ...”)

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-inside-legendary-architects-glass-hideaway-
brazilian-jungle

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