Admiring the Work of Architect Lina Bo Bardi

My recent post on designer Joaquim Tenreiro got me a little curious to the other great talents Brazil has produced, so today we are visiting the beautiful home of Brazilian born Italian raised Architect Lina Bardi. The home we’re admiring today is actually referred to many as the glass house, however I didn’t want to confuse anyone into thinking this was the work of Philip Johnson. I’m not sure if Lina took direct influence from Philip’s home but she built it as her first project just three years after his, this of course could be a complete coincidence but I thought it was worth mentioning nevertheless.

Originally surrounded by the beauty of the Sao Paulo rainforest the house was incased in a complete eco system, which I’m sure provided an entertaining background as Lina and her husband set about their daily tasks. Unfortunately the rainforest has been reduced to the wealthy suburb of Morumbi in modern times. With this the forrest has been a little diluted but as you can see from the imagery here, remnants of it’s previous environment still surround the house today.

I think the houses engagement with it’s surroundings is most notable in the fifth image as we see the house forms a quad around a central tree. Drawing the curtains each morning to these wild views must have filled the couple with such enthusiasm for the day ahead, I think I’d certainly feel more alive living in such harmony with nature.

Spending her days designing furniture, investigating industrial and architectural design this home was a hub of creativity for Lina. From this base Lina went on to build many other large scale projects in her homeland, with the Sao Paulo museum of art a particular highlight, she even left blueprints behind when she passed in 1992 which were constructed later in memory of her talent.

www.institutobardi.com

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