Oswaldo Arthur Bratke, Morumbi, São Paulo, Brazil, 1953
067. Oswaldo Arthur Bratke /// Maria Luisa and Oscar Americano Residence /// Morumbi, São Paulo, Brazil /// 1953 OfHouses guest curated by Jorn Konijn: “Oswaldo Bratke (1907-1997) was one of Brazil’s leading architects of the Modernist Movement. Slightly older, but still considered a contemporary of Oscar Niemeyer and Villanova Artigas. He lived and worked in São Paulo during the city’s metamorphosis into one of the planet’s largest megalopolises and he was partly responsible for its new architectural and urban physiognomy. Bratke is considered one of the most unassuming among the great modern Brazilian architects. He was especially noted for his residential projects, which are among the best of their kind due to his applied research on new types of roofing, casings and unconventional materials and techniques. The Oscar Americano Residence from 1954 is considered a classic. It is known for his flat roofing and for integrating the landscape into the building through empty areas, pergolas and modular perforated building components. Here he adopted two superimposed levels defined by the topography of the terrain and the same interplay of full-and-empty ensure lightness to the ensemble and integration with the landscape. Bratke’s style was marked by an extremely simple style based on proportion and practicality. At the same time, it revealed an extremely subtle and “silent” poetry born from the spontaneity of his drawings, always guided by the human needs demanded by the project”.
