Oscar Niemeyer
From the Environmental Communications Archives
BRASILIA
The Capital of Brazil
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The Constitution of Brazil has always contained a provision for the establishment of a new Capital in the center of the country, but But it was not until 1956, after eight years of surveying, that the actual design and construction of the new Capital began under President Juscelino Kubitschek.
The site chosen for Brasilia is located in the Federal District and comprises 2,245 sq.miles (5,814 sq. km) of a sparsely inhabited plateau carved out of the State of Goias, 3,609 feet (1,100 meters) above sea level and 746 miles (1,200 km) from Rio de Janeiro.
The competition for the urban master plan was won by Brazilian architect and urban planner, Lucio Costa. The major government buildings were designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. Landscape designer Roberto Burle Marx planned the layout and selection of plant varieties to add a vivid green backdrop to the otherwise dry, yellow landscape of the savanna vegetation.
On April 21, 1960, Brasilia was officially inaugurated and started functioning as the new capital of Brazil. Its population is about 1,750,000 inhabitants.
The purpose of the new Capital was threefold. First it would serve to open the center of Brazil to new development. Secondly, it would relieve the pressure of growth from the burdened old Capital Rio de Janeiro. Thirdly, it would create a renewed sense of National pride by the building of a completely modern 21st Century city; Brazil would be assured a place in the world of highly sophisticated, industrialized, and modern Nations.
The city of Brasilia illustrates both the great expectations that its creators had for it, and the shortcomings that were unforeseen. Its existence is exciting and the lessons to be learned from it numerous.
The Congress Complex, The Cathedral, and the Auditorium define the city’s major axis around which the other government buildings are situated. The EC slides show you some of the monumental buildings designed by Oscar Niemeyer and the large scale gardens and Plaza, designed by Burle-Marx. The smaller churches by Niemeyer, and some examples of later buildings by other Brazilian architects to illustrate what directions Brazilian architecture has taken, are also included.
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Oscar Niemeyer arcspace features