The Bardi Institute has just inaugurated its "Summer Pavilion," a structure built at the foot of the Glass House by Lina Bo Bardi, which will host a schedule of concerts, exhibitions, lectures, and other events. Built amidst the vegetation and featuring an organic shape that evokes Lina's work, the pavilion both blends in and stands out in its context. All proceeds raised during these activities will go toward the maintenance and cultural programming of the Bardi Institute / Glass House in 2019.
Read the project description by Sol Camacho below.
“This residence represents an attempt at communion between nature and the natural order of things, opposing the natural elements with the fewest means of defense.” - Lina Bo Bardi in 1958.
I began the project with these words. Lina envisioned an interaction with nature; she designed, planted, and tended the house's garden for four decades. Adding a pavilion was a major challenge on a site that seemed to have almost no space to host events for up to 250 people. We measured every tree and planned a platform that, crossing over the stone ramp, extended to the limit of the largest trees, thereby incorporating the smaller ones into the structure itself and respecting every branch in the garden. This approach yielded an organic form that respected the surroundings while engaging with the sinuous lines Lina designed for the garden's retaining walls—an amoeba-like shape reminiscent of the openings in the restaurant on Ladeira da Misericórdia in Salvador. Supported by steel columns, the roof also follows this logic of integrating with the garden. This was made possible by using CLT (cross-laminated timber), with the curves cut by an 18 x 6-meter CNC machine that reads CAD files directly. The choice of CLT stems from a desire to showcase mass timber construction technology, which is rarely used in Brazil but holds great potential. It is a flexible, easy-to-use, quick-to-assemble, and adaptable material. Furthermore, it was perfect for respecting the heritage-listed Glass House, as there was no need to alter any part of the original building—only to support, shim, and screw it, making it equally simple to dismantle. The shape and layout of the roof also respect the iconic view of the House, where the audience faces the stage with the House in the background, keeping the focus on it.
Built-in furniture was designed along the entire perimeter, serving as both a guardrail and seating at the edge of the trees—a truly magical experience. The pavilion is a temporary intervention at the Glass House, and its ephemeral nature is a key part of the design. An ephemeral architecture that activates the Institute's cultural activities in an innovative way, fostering new ideas for using the House, such as music, courses, lectures, and exhibitions.
Client: Bardi Institute / Glass House
Project: Summer Pavilion
Architect: M.Arq Sol Camacho
Team: Flora Milanez, Alina Paias
Engineering: Carpinteria / Eng. Alan Dias
This article was written by Eduardo Souza. The translation is powered by AI.
