The Work of the Architect Gustavo Penna and its Relation to Amilcar de Castro's Sculpture

Abstract

This article aims to identify key features present in the residential work of architect

Gustavo Penna, born in Minas Gerais. This study selected Borges Residence (1999), Lagoa Santa Residence (2001) and Lincoln Residence (2007). This research reveals intimate relations between the poetics of Penna’s architecture and the work of the sculptor Amilcar de Castro, showing points of convergence that come from the “mineira” culture, marked by poetry and simplicity. In addition, procedures adopted by the sculptor, like cutting and bending, are also evidenced, in an allusive way, in Penna’s architecture. From interviews given by the architect, and graphic material collected in his office, it was possible to investigate concepts that are strongly present in the studied works. To do so it was necessary to adopt some criteria for analysis, which guide this research. Thus, each work was analyzed before the following aspects: 1.form; 2.space; 3.insertion in the landscape; 4. geometry purity; 5. lightness; 6 sensations caused by the path of the viewer. These aspects were analyzed graphically in the following diagrams: (i).entry and perimeter; (ii).circulation and use; (iii).compartment grades; (iv).hierarch spaces; (v).symmetry and balance; (vi).visual fields; (vii).geometry; (viii).additions and subtractions. The results obtained allow us to affirm that the concepts declared by the architect are present indeed in the works analyzed, in a coherent and reasoned manner. Furthermore, it is seen clearly that, indirectly, in the work of the architect reverberate concepts present in the work of Amilcar de Castro. Therefore, the paper contributes to the analysis of the residential work of an important architect in the current scenario of architecture, highlighting features of the “mineira” culture and the poetics of space in his work.