SESC Pompéia, Cultural and sports complex in Pompeia district, São Paulo, Brazil
The facility occupies a former drum factory site with two concrete towers connected by elevated walkways and features exhibition spaces, theaters, and sports facilities.
Italian architect Lina Bo Bardi transformed the industrial building between 1977 and 1986, preserving the original brick structure while adding modern concrete elements.
The center promotes social integration through diverse activities including art exhibitions, theater performances, sports events, and educational workshops for all community members.
Visitors can access multiple sports facilities including swimming pools, gymnasiums, and football fields, along with a library, restaurant, and exhibition halls.
The building incorporates irregular window openings in its concrete towers, referred to as Spanish civil war holes, creating distinct patterns of natural light inside.
Location: São Paulo
Location: Pompeia
Architects: Lina Bo Bardi
Part of: Serviço Social do Comércio
Address: Rua Clélia, n.º 93 - Pompéia - São Paulo - São Paulo - Brasil
GPS coordinates: -23.52659,-46.68310
Latest update: May 11, 2025 05:18
Brutalist architecture emerged in the decades following World War II, producing buildings that challenged conventional design through their honest expression of materials and function. From Le Corbusier's Unité d'Habitation in Marseille to Louis Kahn's National Assembly in Dhaka, these structures define a global movement that prioritized raw concrete, bold geometric forms and exposed construction elements. The style reached across continents, shaping university libraries in Chicago, government buildings in Boston and Chandigarh, residential towers in London, and cultural centers in São Paulo. Each building reflects the architectural philosophy of its time, when architects sought to create functional spaces through direct expression of structure and material. This collection documents examples from Europe, Asia, North and South America, representing the full range of building types that defined the movement. You'll find administrative complexes that house parliaments and municipal offices, educational facilities serving major universities, residential towers providing urban housing, and cultural institutions including museums and theaters. The structures share common characteristics—concrete left exposed to show its texture and formwork patterns, geometric compositions that emphasize mass and volume, and architectural elements that reveal rather than conceal how buildings stand and function. These sites offer insight into a period when architects reimagined how modern cities could be built and how public spaces could serve their communities.
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