What the work is
SESC Pompeia is a cultural and social center formed by converting a former factory in São Paulo. It is a project by Lina Bo Bardi for Serviço Social do Comércio (SESC).
How it was made
The work was made by converting a former factory between 1977 and 1986. Lina Bo Bardi retained the industrial buildings. She consolidated sports facilities and changing rooms into two concrete towers separated by a non-buildable zone. She connected the buildings with eight pedestrian walkways. She removed the factory’s inner walls and excavated a rippled swimming pool into the concrete floor.
What works
Retaining the industrial structures works to preserve and amplify the neighborhood’s pre-existing vitality. Separating towers with a non-buildable zone works to define open space as active infrastructure. Removing interior walls and excavating a rippled pool works to insert new program without erasing the floor’s material history.
What does not
The document does not establish any claim about acoustics, ergonomics, material specifications beyond concrete, structural engineering details, budget, or post-occupancy evaluation. It makes no claim about accessibility, sustainability metrics, or user demographics.
What it influenced
The document does not state what the work influenced. No influence, legacy, reception, or citation is verified in the source material.
Is it worth your time
Yes — it is worth your time as a decisive, materially specific example of how architectural conversion can foreground existing social life rather than overwrite it.