Ateliê De Cerâmica Gallery / MOBIO Arquitetura

Architects: MOBIO Arquitetura
Area: 4166 ft²
Year: 2023
Photographs: Reverbo
Manufacturers: ALMAD, Cinex, San Marcenaria, Thor Iluminação
Lead Architect: Gabriel Castro
Collaborators: Ana Paula Rocha, Pedro Medeiros
City: Belo Horizonte
Country: Brazil

Ateliê de Cerâmica Gallery, designed by MOBIO Arquitetura in Belo Horizonte, transforms a listed 1950s modernist residence into a gallery, café, and architectural studio. The project preserves original materials and architectural elements while introducing flexible furniture systems and dense tropical landscaping. Through targeted interventions approved by local heritage authorities, the building reopens to the city and adopts a new public role. The space combines ceramic production, Brazilian design, and cultural programming, activating its modernist legacy through contemporary use and reaffirming its presence as an accessible and multifunctional cultural environment.

Ateliê de cerâmica gallery / mobio arquitetura

Ateliê de Cerâmica Gallery is located in the center of Belo Horizonte, near Praça da Liberdade, and occupies a house built in the 1950s. The architectural restoration and interior adaptation were undertaken by MOBIO Arquitetura, led by architect Gabriel Castro, with landscaping developed by ceramic artists Flávia Soares, Daniel Romeiro, and Luiza Soares.

The design strategy sought to reinterpret the significance of the heritage structure by reconnecting it with the urban context and updating its internal layout for contemporary use. The new program features a gallery showcasing ceramic works, custom furniture, and art pieces, in addition to a café and the headquarters of MOBIO Arquitetura.

The house, listed for preservation, was originally designed in 1950 by Walter Machado, Jeferson Lodi, and Suzy de Melo as the residence of Gilda Falci and Milton Mourão. Its original architecture references early Brazilian modernism, particularly through the expressive use of reinforced concrete seen in the curved canopy on the facade and the vaulted slab ceiling in the main hall.

Restoration efforts focused on recovering key original materials such as peroba-do-campo hardwood, terrazzo and glass-tile flooring. Original iron frames and woodwork were restored, along with lighting fixtures that were either refurbished or complemented with new elements. A key alteration approved by the Belo Horizonte Heritage Directorate involved removing the wall that previously enclosed the house, replacing it with a metal fence that improves the visual relationship with the public space.

The internal courtyard, treated as a spatial connector, is densely landscaped and interfaces directly with both the gallery and the café through multiple window openings. This configuration enhances circulation and passive ventilation while reinforcing spatial continuity between interior and exterior areas.

A metal pergola was introduced to support climbing vegetation, forming a natural screen that protects the northwest-facing facade from excessive sunlight. The structural addition is lightweight and integrated within the existing context without altering the architectural identity of the house.

The original swimming pool, shaped in an amoeboid form, was repurposed by installing a wooden deck that rests above the tiled basin. This conversion allows the space to serve as an informal seating area, particularly during small cultural events and gatherings hosted by the gallery.

Exhibition furniture was designed to be modular and neutral in tone, offering flexibility for different spatial arrangements. Rectangular modules support three presentation heights—platform, table, and vertical totem—while circular units allow for a variety of compositional strategies based on each specific installation.

A shelving system made of aluminum and glass includes integrated lighting to highlight objects and artworks. These functional display elements are combined with a curated selection of Brazilian furniture by designers such as Percival Lafer, Sergio Rodrigues, and Jorge Jabour Mauá, grounding the gallery in national design history.

The landscape project incorporates tropical species—heliconias, monsteras, philodendrons, and purple yam—distributed according to each area’s sunlight conditions. The vegetation forms shaded areas and introduces layers of visual texture that support the microclimate and enhance the architectural atmosphere.

Transforming and occupying a listed residence through architectural intervention presents a model for how private heritage structures may be reintroduced to the public realm. The project exemplifies a respectful revitalization that maintains the building’s formal language while offering a new use.

Through this renewed configuration, Ateliê de Cerâmica Gallery has become a cultural space for Belo Horizonte, presenting events such as author conversations like Francesco Perrotta’s talk on Lina Bo Bardi. The initiative merges historical architecture with design, ceramics, and cultural programming, establishing an environment grounded in both preservation and contemporary practice.