Adaptive Reuse + Lina Bo Bardi – Brazil

About this Travel Course

Course Description

Throughout the 1980’s, São Paulo was still reeling from military dictatorship as well as the modernist architecture project of Brasilia. Left with an abundance of modernist buildings that had fallen into disrepair, compounded by the need for state-funded services, architectural practices around adaptive reuse exploded onto the newly democratic scene. Within two decades, former industrial buildings like factories became the framework for new architectural development for social services like housing, museums, and community centers. Of the many successful examples of adaptive reuse throughout Brazil, this course will focus on the prolific work of architect Lina Bo Bardi, which she developed from the 1960s through the 1990s in São Paulo and Salvador de Bahía.

Adaptive reuse is the practice of rehabilitating existing, and often obsolescent, buildings. Obsolescence in buildings happens when a structure is no longer able to function as designed, either technically or socially. Technical obsolescence occurs when a building’s systems are unable to operate efficiently, while social obsolescence occurs when a building no longer serves the needs of the publics that occupy the space. Contemporary discourse around adaptive reuse affirms that the most sustainable building is one that already exists; as a practice for building, adaptive reuse produces less carbon emissions than new construction, while simultaneously retaining the identity and memory of a place.

Through our travels, we will encounter a number of adaptive reuse projects in São Paulo and Salvador de Bahía, including SESC Pompéia, Teatro Oficina, Centro Cívico LBA, and Museum of Modern Art of Bahia to name a few. Each of these projects address technological and social reuse; they imbue new cultural significance into existing and vernacular buildings. In the case of SESC Pompéia, Bo Bardi converts a decommissioned factory into a cultural and sports center. Teatro Oficina is Bo Bardi’s rehabilitation of a historic office building that was destroyed in a tragic fire into a community theater. Each of the projects will investigate the unique, place-based history of the existing structure and its respective public.

Eligibility

RISD Students

If your current cumulative GPA is 2.5 or above, you are eligible for registration. If your current cumulative GPA is lower than 2.5, you must first contact the Registrar at registrar@risd.edu to seek exception to this academic policy.

Non-RISD Participants

If you are a college student currently enrolled in another art and design college or institution around the world you are eligible for registration. We will collect a recommendation and support form from your institution within the application.

In order to register for RISD Global Summer Studies, you are expected to have a high level of English (speech, writing, and comprehension) as all coursework and critique is delivered in English, and your current cumulative GPA must be 2.5 or above.

Attendance Policy

Global Summer Studies are three weeks long and take place in June and July. You are required to attend all program activities scheduled during the travel course. RISD Global Summer Studies comply with RISD class attendance policy. In case of unexcused or multiple absences, you may be removed from the course, given a grade of “W" (withdrawal) or a grade of “F” (fail).

Withdrawal Policy

Requesting to withdraw from a RISD off-campus global learning program, including RISD Global Summer Studies, prior to the start of the course is highly discouraged and requires a formal process outlined in the RISD course withdrawal policy. It is not possible for a student to drop a RISD Global Summer Studies travel course via the standard Add/Drop process after it has commenced. In the case of unforeseen and extenuating circumstances (and only after students have spoken with the faculty lead and RISD Global for approval to withdraw from the program), students should be aware that no refund will be issued.

More Info

In order to reserve a seat, a non-refundable deposit of $500 is required at the time of application submittal. Students will submit full payment for the course when all seats are occupied but no later than March 17, 2025. Students that fail to make full payment by their deadline will forfeit their $500 deposit and their seat in the course.

All RISD students and full degree seeking students enrolled at other schools or universities are required to remain in good academic standing in order to participate in Global Summer Studies. A minimum GPA of 2.5 is required for all participants. Failure to remain in good academic standing can lead to removal from the course, either before or during the course.

In cases where summer travel courses do not reach full capacity, the course may be canceled after the last day of registration. As such, all students are advised not to purchase flights for participation in Global Summer Studies courses until the course is confirmed by RISD Global.