Dialogues between Lina Bo Bardi and the spirit of Ladeira da Misericórdia in Salvador

Abstract

Christian Norberg-Schulz's concept of "spirit of the place" was essential to the rescue of contextual importance among architects and urban planners in their design practices. This essay reviews the proposal developed by Lina Bo Bardi for the Largo da Misericórdia in Salvador, in 1987, in order to understand the obstacle between the codification of the image of the "spirit of the place" through architectural design and the reception of its spectators from the materialization of the work built. Unlike other designs of the architect, the Ladeira da Misericórdia is currently abandoned and isolated, though the proposal’s original idea had been the revitalization of an area in the traditional historical center of the city. Supported by the literature review, in the design analysis and the values it communicates, this work questions the reasons for its current situation. The proposal, therefore, is to argue about the assimilation of the "spirit of the place" that directly relates to the design actions, and mainly, to the acceptance of the work by the public.