Projects for public buildings and infrastructure must always ensure the best possible forms of access and connection with the surrounding streets, particularly regarding access routes for pedestrians. However, some architects have managed to overcome the pragmatic aspect of this connection between architecture and the streets, when designing projects that have a strong duty to provide public space, by using this bond as the core of the design concept.
The Italian-Brazilian architect Lina Bo Bardi (1914-1992) was amongst those responsible for creating fine examples of this architectural praxis, concerned with its public role, an attitude that is increasingly relevant and coherent in order to promote a democratic, horizontal, conscious and plural urban life. These virtues are especially evident in two projects by the architect in the city of São Paulo, SESC Pompeia and MASP.
