With a professional career marked by prolific production and research, not only in architecture but across a range of other interrelated fields, Sérgio Bernardes began working at a very young age, founding his first model-making workshop at thirteen. At fifteen—even before entering architecture school—he designed his first project, the Eduardo Baouth residence in Itaipava, Rio de Janeiro, for family friends. Beyond architecture, he also ventured into other fields, such as woodworking.
In 1948, he graduated from the School of Architecture at the University of Rio de Janeiro, at a time when Brazilian modernism was gaining prominent international recognition, following the country's participation in the 1939 New York World's Fair and after Brazilian modernist works were exhibited at MoMA in 1943. Even before completing his degree, Sérgio secured his first architectural publication, featuring his Petrópolis Country Club project in the magazine L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui.
A defining feature of his work was an intense search for unconventional structural and spatial solutions, combined with a deep understanding of materials and structures. In his early residential designs, commissioned by Rio's elite, Bernardes focused closely on the well-being of the inhabitants. Over the years, his practice diversified across a range of typologies and scales, earning him numerous accolades. Highlights include the Young Brazilian Architect Award at the 2nd São Paulo Biennial in 1953 for the Lota Macedo Soares Residence—a project that introduced steel framing to residential design in Brazil, with structural elements bent and assembled entirely in situ; recognition at the Venice Triennial for the Hélio Cabal Residence in 1954; and the Brazilian Pavilion at the 1958 Brussels World's Fair, where he was awarded the title of Chevalier de la Couronne Belge.
