Casa do Baile

The Casa do Baile (English: "Ball House") is an architectural landmark in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer.

Its fluid curves integrating with the natural landscape have made it an icon of modern Brazilian architecture, garnering protected status at municipal, state and national levels.

The Casa do Baile was one of several buildings commissioned by Juscelino Kubitschek, the then-mayor of Belo Horizonte, to establish the Pampulha lake district as a leisure area for the city.

[1] Though influenced by the modernist principles of Le Corbusier, Niemeyer brought his own sensibilities, taking advantage of the flexibility of reinforced concrete to create sweeping curves and sinuous forms.

[3] From this base extends the building's most iconic feature, an undulating concrete canopy supported by columns that shades an outdoor promenade, terminating in a small amoeba-shaped volume faced with decorative tiles.