50 years of orelhão: brazil's iconic egg-shaped telephone booth designed by chu ming silveira

The Orelhão (‘Big Ear’ in Portuguese) is the name given to the iconic egg-shaped telephone hoods that have been decorating the Brazilian sidewalks since January 20 and 25th 1971, when Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, respectively, installed their first booths. Designed by Chinese-Brazilian architect Chu Ming Silveira, the distinctive shells took shape as lightweight oval hoods, prioritizing acoustics, along with user comfort, protection, and privacy. Just as London still holds on to its emblematic red phone booths, the Brazilian metropolises would not be the same without their Big Ears.

Although the appearance of mobile phones has led to a stable decline in the use of the Orelhão since the 2010s, the devices are still incorporated into the street furniture of Brazil and other Latin American countries, as well as Africa and China. With the iconic phone shelter reaching its 50th anniversary, the official Orelhão website celebrates its consolidated status as a world design icon, reminding us of its influence as a symbol of Brazil.

the payphone shell in its double version on the streets of São Paulo 1973
all images via Orelhao, unless stated otherwise

The concept by Chu Ming Silveira emerged as a solution to the initial public phone devices that turned out to be problematic due to high construction costs and frequent vandalism. The architect needed a low-cost solution that was easy to preserve, offering protective shelter to phones and their users. Bearing these criteria in mind, she chose acrylic and fiberglass as the main materials to form a lightweight, egg-shaped shell that is strong, light, and resistant to sun, rain, and fire.

the payphone shell in its single version

Although formally named ‘CHU I’ and ‘CHU II’, Silveira’s shells have been immortalized as Orelhão or Orelhinha (‘Little Earsi). The smaller acrylic orange Little Ears were created to fit within confined areas, such as shops or public workspaces. Although designed to be fixed on walls and small posts, they can be adapted to many other types of support. Their oval shape was adopted not only for the acoustics and looks but also for the consistency in terms of the construction method.

photo of chu ming silveira and her invention from a publication in a 70s periodical

The orange-and-blue Big Ears were created for larger open and semi-open environments, with their orange and blue fiberglass resisting bad weather and extreme Brazilian temperatures. Variations of both the small and the big ears made their appearance, as the designer continued to experiment with the optimization of acoustics, efficiency, privacy, and aesthetics. The shells were installed in single, double, and even triple versions, while some of them were made to be transparent in order to expand the space visually.

image by gregg newton, via buzzfeed

With the first Orelhão prototypes emerging from the streets of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, the egg-shaped booths quickly became very popular among the citizens. All these years, the iconic booths have gained a number of curious nicknames, such as ‘tulips’ and ‘astronaut’s helmets’. With her innovative design, Chu Ming Silveira has successfully created an organic, welcoming space that still offers protection and privacy to passersby. Today, Orelhãos have sprung across more Latin American countries like Peru, Colombia, and Paraguay, but also in African countries like Angola and Mozambique or even in China and other places around the world. Although they are now disabled, they still adorn the sidewalks as pops of color amid the urban surroundings.

‘lunar calendar’ – custom phone booth by architect alan chu for call parede 2012