page_title: Lina Bo Bardi
section_title: Centro de Lazer Fábrica da Pompéia
hierarchical_section_title: Lina Bo Bardi / Career in Brazil / Centro de Lazer Fábrica da Pompéia
caption_attribution_description: São Paulo, Brasil. Dezembro de 2010. Facebook || Instagram || Tumblr || Twitter || VSCO Grid
context_page_description: Lina Bo Bardi, born Achillina Bo, was an Italian-born Brazilian modernist architect. A prolific architect and designer, she devoted her working life, most of it spent in Brazil, to promoting the social and cultural potential of architecture and design. While she studied under radical Italian architects, she quickly became intrigued with Brazilian vernacular design and how it could influence a modern Brazilian architecture. During her lifetime it was difficult to be accepted among the local Brazilian architects, because she was both a "foreigner" and a woman.
  She is recognizable for the unique style of the many architectural illustrations she created over her lifetime, along with her tendency to leave poignant notes to herself. She is also known for her furniture and jewelry designs. The popularity of her works has increased since 2008, when a 1993 catalog of her works was republished. A number of her product designs are being revived, and exhibitions such as her 1968 exhibition of glass and concrete easels have been recreated.
context_section_description: In 1982, Bo Bardi finished construction on Centro de Lazer Fábrica da Pompéia (now called the SESC Pompéia). The building had initially housed a drum factory and Bo Bardi was tasked with turning it into a community center. SESC Pompéia was built after a 20-year military dictatorship in Brazil that created architecture that did not mirror the Brazilian culture. SESC Pompéia is thought to be a new architectural language controlled by Brazilian culture. SESC is a non-governmental linked to national business federation, created in the 1940s to provide employees with health services and cultural activities. Due to the military dictatorship, Bo Bardi had been ostracized by a conventional architectural outlook. SESC Pompéia sent a shockwave through São Paulo. In 1982 the first stage of the complex was revealed. Bo Bardi had stripped away the plaster and then sandblasted the walls in order to find the essence of the large building. Her design combined red brick and unconventional concrete towers which were combined by aerial walkways. When deciding what kind of program should be implemented, Bo Bardi believed that it should be a leisure center rather than a culture and sporting center. She believed that "culture" is a strong term and may mandate people to hold cultural events, and the term "sporting" may have a harmful tendency towards a culture that is already competitive by nature The building currently houses many activities rooms, including: theatres, gymnasiums, a swimming pool, snack bars, leisure areas, restaurants, galleries, and workshops.
caption: Lina Bo Bardi, SESC Pompeia, 1982
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