The history of Brazilian architecture is studded with small and large utopias – from the far-out dream of Brasilia to other forms, orientated towards marking the city’s landscape with models that lie outside the modernist tradition.
Eduardo Longo is a good example. An architect who was fashionable in 1960s’ Sao Paolo (one of his villas was published in Domus in 1968), since 1972 he has been working on Casa Bola (“Spherical House”) – an imaginary project that will soon completely absorb him. Longo has conceived a housing system made up of spheres, each containing a floor area of 100 square metres. Organised on three levels, the Casa Bola encloses living spaces and functions within a softly shaped globe.
Over time the Sao Paolo-based architect has built several examples of his proposal, which explores urban themes in an attempt to create an instrument for making dramatic and sculptural changes to the landscape of the city. The Casa Bola can even float above the urban frenzy, suspended in midair from existing structures such as multistorey car parks. Laura Bossi
