The Lina Bo Bardi Fellowship was initiated by the British Council to give architects and designers based in the UK the opportunity to travel and explore first-hand the work of Lina Bo Bardi and related architects and designers in Brazil; in order to formulate a body of research and ideas for future projects in the UK. 

The Italian architect Lina Bo Bardi (Rome 1914- Sao Paulo 1992) arrived in Brazil in 1946, and left an extraordinary, yet not fully acknowledged legacy as an architect, designer, editor, illustrator and curator. Bardi argued that a country should build identity on the foundation of its own roots, and explored Brazil in order to assimilate and understand its local and popular cultures, whilst successfully integrating these with social values of the Modern movement. 

The Fellowship seeks to raise awareness and understanding of the important contribution of Lina Bo Bardi to architecture, culture and society, whilst creating long-term connections between artists, designers and architects in the UK and Brazil, and providing a unique development opportunity for a talented British architect or designer.

Starting in October 2013, the four-year programme forms part of the British Council’s Transform programme of arts and exchange between the UK and Brazil in the run up to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. The Lina Bo Bardi Fellowship is supported by SESC SP and the Instituto Lina Bo and P.M. Bardi.