Analysis of the house at 281 Avaré Street designed by Sérgio Bernardes

• Grant number: 13/15882-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: October 01, 2013
• End date: September 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Applied Social Sciences - Architecture and Town Planning - Architecture and Urbanism Project
• Principal Investigator: Angelo Bucci
• Grantee: Eleonora Aronis Rainha
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Arquitetura e Urbanismo (FAU). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This research has the objective of studying the house designed by Sérgio Bernardes, at Avaré Street in São Paulo, in order to understand how this project was part of the modern movement and to better appreciate the unique aspects of this specific project. Sérgio Bernardes was an important architect for the history of Brazilian architecture because he wasn't exactly part of the modern movement of the '50s and 60', as he had his own particularities and was always looking for technological innovation and different references from those which the main Brazilian architects usually looked for. The house at Avaré Street illustrates these aspects of Sérgio Bernardes's architecture, which mixes the Brazilian culture, making references to the colonial period; with the newest technologies at the time, such as metal structure, glass panels, and generous internal spaces, as in the architecture of Mies Van der Rohe and Frank Lloyd Wright. Therefore, this house is an important place for one to begin to understand the complex figure of Sérgio Bernardes. The research is going to be based on interviews with the family that has ordered the design and has lived in the house ever since; original drawings and an extended bibliography. The student researcher is the granddaughter of the couple that has ordered the design from Sérgio Bernardes, and thus has access to all the available primary sources (such as plans, sections, drawings, documents, testimonies, etc). Also, if necessary, it is going to be possible to exchange information with Sérgio Bernardes's office in Rio de Janeiro, which has already been contacted. The final objective of this research is to publish a book about the house and the work of such an important architect to the history of Brazilian architecture. (AU)