The Deborah J. Norden Fund 2008

In 2008, the Architectural League awarded two grants: one to Remy Bertin for “Contextual modernism for the New Khmer,” and another to Angela Starita for “Lina Bo Bardi’s restoration plans for Salvador, Brazil.”

“Contextual modernism for the New Khmer”

Remy Bertin

“Lina Bo Bardi’s restoration plans for Salvador, Brazil”

Angela Starita travelled to São Paulo and Salvador, Brazil, to investigate Lina Bo Bardi’s mid-1980s plans for the restoration of the historic center of Salvador, the Pelourinho. In order to rehabilitate this area without converting it into a tourist zone, Bo Bardi designed a ‘pressure point strategy’ whereby specific crucial areas were intervened to keep the Pelourinho a vital part of the city and serve instead of displace its residents. Sartita studied Bo Bardi’s plans and the buildings that were constructed before the abandonment of the plan in the late 1980’s, as well as the architect’s broader vision and works.

Angela Starita is a writer and a doctoral candidate in architectural history at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. She has published articles in the Architect’s Newspaper, Dwell, The New York Times, and many other publications.