Estúdio Leonardo Zanatta gives São Paulo pavilion "harp-like" form
Local firm Estúdio Leonardo Zanatta has completed a white pavilion with a large sloped roof for commercial activities and cultural events in São Paulo, Brazil.
Completed in 2025, the Tess Pavilion measures 350 square metres (3,445 square feet) on an urban lot in the Brooklin neighbourhood, which is mostly residential. The mixed-use building hosts rotating cultural exhibitions.
"The architecture proposes an accessible space for the community, articulating public and private functions without formal hierarchy," said Estúdio Leonardo Zanatta.
"The pavilion acts as an activator of the urban space, with the potential to host art, commerce and social interaction."
To fit with its primarily low-rise context, the pavilion has a horizontal scheme with rounded, glazed spaces set under a large, single-slope rectangular roof upheld by thin columns.
"The occupation avoids heavy volumes and prioritises visual permeability, creating a discreet and welcoming architectural presence," the studio said.
"The project proposes a reading of lightness and formal silence, integrating naturally into the urban fabric."
The metal structure with alternative slender columns and tension cables organises the space and allows exterior walkways to flow between garden areas under and around the pavilion.
The structure is left exposed with white concrete that emphasises the form and contrasts the green plantings, which are shaded by the deep cantilever of the roof.
"The rhythmic metal structure was inspired by the image of a harp, functioning as an organising matrix for the space," the studio said.
"The spatial arrangement of the volumes beneath the roof was influenced by compositions from Russian Suprematism, emphasising the juxtaposition of primary geometric shapes in varying orientations and visual tensions."
The round communal space and oblong seating areas float under the roof and allow visitors to have multiple perceptions of the building as they move around it.
Inside, the smooth floor and ceiling seem to hover around frameless glass walls. Slatted wooden dividers form seating, planters and smaller spaces within the pavilion.
The raised roof allows for air to move across the lower structure and creates a permanent shading device that promotes passive thermal efficiency.
Meanwhile, the openings along the side reduce solar gain in the summer and optimise it in the winter to help reduce energy consumption.
At night, lights are projected up on the underside of the roof, illuminating the large canvas over the pavilion.
Other pavilions constructed in São Paulo include park pavilions made of living plants by Estúdio Campana and a curved wooden structure by Sol Camancho next to Lina Bo Bardi’s modernist house.
The photography is by André Scarpa.
Project credits:
Architects: Leonardo Zanatta
Collaborators: Anna Schmutzler, Davi Erbs, Henrique Azevedo, Lucas Carilli and Nathalia Wehmuth
Development: Ana Carolina Norat, Beatriz Paschoal, Lucas Conversano and Luciana Romanus
Client: Nortis Incorporadora
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