OSCAR NIEMEYER‘POET OF CONCRETE’

OSCAR NIEMEYER (1907-2012)OSCAR NIEMEYER WAS BORN ON DECEMBER 12 1907 IN RIO DE

JANEIRO, BRAZIL.GRADUATED FROM BARNABITAS COLLEGE IN 1923.HE JOINED THE OFFICES OF LÚCIO COSTA, AN ARCHITECT FROM THE

MODERNIST SCHOOL.OSCAR NIEMEYER IS A BRASILIAN ARCHITECT,CONSIDERED AS ONE OF

THE MOST INFLUENTIAL NAMES IN INTERNATIONAL MODERN ARCHITECTURE.

NIEMEYER WAS BEST KNOWN FOR HIS DESIGNS OF CIVIC BUILDING OF BRASILIA.

HE IS PIONEER IN EXPLORATION OF DESIGNS WITN REINFORCED CONCRETE.

NIEMEYER WAS MOST FAMOUS FOR HIS USE OF ABSTRACT FORMS AND CURVES.

INFLUENCES AND INSPIRATIONS THE CORBUSIAN INFLUENCE IS EVIDENT IN THE EARLY WORKS OF

OSCAR NIEMEYER. THE ARCHITECTURE OF BRASILIA, GLIMPSED IN THE SKETCHES

SUBMITTED BY LUCIO COSTA FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DESIGN CONTEST FOR THE NEW CAPITAL OF BRAZIL, WAS THE RESULT OF OSCAR NIEMEYER 'S DEFINITIVE IMPETUS ON THE SCENE OF THE INTERNATIONAL HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE.

THE CONCAVE AND CONVEX DOMES OF THE NATIONAL CONGRESS AND THE COLUMNS OF THE ALVORADA AND PLANALTO PALACES AND THE SUPREME COURT ARE HIGHLY ORIGINAL FEATURES. COMBINING THESE WITH THE SPECTACULAR FORMS OF THE COLUMNS OF THE CATHEDRAL AND THE PALACES OF ITAMARATY AND JUSTICA, OSCAR NIEMEYER SUCCEEDED IN CLOSING THE RECTANGULAR AND SYMMETRICAL PERSPECTIVE FORMED BY THE REPETITION OF THE ESPLANADA AND MINISTRY BUILDINGS.

IDEOLOGIES AND PHILOSOPHIES “I WAS ATTRACTED BY THE CURVE — THE LIBERATED, SENSUAL CURVE

SUGGESTED BY THE POSSIBILITIES OF NEW TECHNOLOGY YET SO OFTEN RECALLED IN VENERABLE OLD BAROQUE CHURCHES.”

“MY WORK IS NOT ABOUT ‘FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION,’ BUT ‘FORM FOLLOWS BEAUTY’ OR, EVEN BETTER, ‘FORM FOLLOWS FEMININE.’”

“I CREATED ARCHITECTURE WITH COURAGE AND IDEALISM, BUT ALSO WITH AN AWARENESS OF THE FACT THAT WHAT IS IMPORTANT IN LIFE, FRIENDS AND ATTEMPTING TO MAKE THIS UNJUST WORLD A BETTER PLACE IN WHICH TO LIVE.”

“ARCHITECTURE DOES NOT CHANGE ANYTHING. IT’S ALWAYS ON THE SIDE OF THE WEALTHY. THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO BELIEVE THAT IT CAN MAKE LIFE BETTER.”

“ARCHITECTURE WAS MY WAY OF EXPRESSING MY IDEALS: TO BE SIMPLE, TO CREATE A WORLD EQUAL TO EVERYONE, TO LOOK AT PEOPLE WITH OPTIMISM, THAT EVERYONE HAS A GIFT. I DON’T WANT ANYTHING BUT GENERAL HAPPINESS.

KEY ELEMENTS

ABSTRACT FORMS AND CURVES.FREE FLOWING SENSUAL CURVES.CURVED ARCHITECTURE THROUGH

REVOLUTIONARY USAGE OF CONCRETE.HIS BUILDINGS ARE CHARECTERISED BY

BEING SPACIOUS AND EXPOSED,MIXING VOLUMES AND EMPTY SPACE TO CREATE UNCONVENTIONAL PATTERNS.

SIMPLE STRUCTURE WITHOUT MUCH ORNAMENTATION.

CONCEPT AND STYLE

ORGANIC MODERN STYLEURBANISM, MODERNISM AND CONTEMPORARY

STYLES.TO CREATE A WORLD EQUAL TO EVERYONE.TO LOOK AT PEOPLE WITH OPTIMISM.

WORKS CIVIC BUILDINGS FOR BRASILIA. PLANNED CITY FOR BRAZIL’S CAPITAL.(1960) EXPLORATION OF THE AESTHETIC POSSIBILITIES OF RCC THE PAMPULHA PROJECT NITERÓI CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM OSCAR NIEMEYER MUSEUM BRAZILIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM ESTAÇÃO CABO BRANCO, JOÃO PESSOA, BRAZIL OSCAR NIEMEYER INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL

CENTRE, ASTURIAS, SPAIN NATAL CITY PARK TOWER, NATAL, BRAZIL

CATHEDRAL OF BRASILIA

THE CATHEDRAL OF BRASILIA IS THE ROMAN CATOLIC CATHEDRAL SERVING BRASILIA,BRAZIL.

IT WAS DESIGNED BY NIEMEYER AND WAS COMPLETED AND DEDICATED ON MAY 31,1970.

THIS CONCRETE-FRAMED HYPERBOLOID STRUCTURE,SEEMS WITH ITS GLASS ROOF TO BE REACHING UP OPEN,TO HEAVEN.

IN THE SQUARE ACCESS TO THE TEMPLE,ARE FOUR BRONZE SCULPTURES WITH THREE FEET TALL,REPRESENTING THE EVANGELISTS.

INSIDE THE NAVE, ARE THE SCULPTURES OF THREE ANGLES,SUSPENDED BY STEEL CABLES.

THE DIMENSIONS AND WEIGHT OF THE CARVINGS ARE 2.22 m LONG AND THE SHORTER ONE 100 kg , 3.4 m LONG AND TWO HUNDRED KILOGRAMS THE AVERAGE AND 4.25 m IN LENGTH AND MOST THREE HUNDRED KILOGRAMS.

THE BAPISTERY WAS OVOID IN SHAPE.

EACH PIECE IS INSERTED INTO TRIANGLES WITH BASE 10m AND WERE POINTED.

AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE CATHEDRAL,IS A PILLAR WITH PASSEAGES FROM THE LIFE OF MARY,MOTHER OF JESUS.

NIEMEYER SAW A COMPACT AND CLEAN CONCEPT, A VOLUME OCCURING WITH THE SAME PURITY FROM ANY PERSPECTIVE AND FOR TIMES OF DEEP RELIGIOUS EXPRESSION.

IN THE AIR BORN OUTSIDE THE STRUCTURE OF THE EARTH IS A CRY OF FAITH AND HOPE,THEN,THE GALLERY IS LOCATED IN SEMI-DARKNESS TO PREPARE THE FAITHFULTO SNOW.

THE NITEROI CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM

THE NITEROI CONTEMPORARY ART MUSEUM IS SITUATED IN THE CITY OF NITEROI,RIO DE JANEIRO,BRAZIL,AND IS ONE OF THE CITY,S MAIN LANDMARK.IT WAS COMPLETED IN 1996.

DESIGNED NY NIEMEYER WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF STRUCTURAL ENGINEER BURNO CONTARINI,WHO HAD WORK WITH NIEMEYER ON EARLIER PROJECTS,THE MAC-NITEROI IS 16M HIGH;ITS CUPOLA HAS A DIAMETER OF 50M WITH THREE FLOORS.

A WIDE ACCESS SLOPE LEADS TO A HALL OF EXPOSITIONS,WHICH HAS A CAPACITY FOR SIXTY PEOPLE.

TWO DOORS LEAD TO THE VIEWING GALLERY,THROUGH WHICH CAN BE SEEN THE GUANABARA BAY,RIO DE JANEIRO,AND SUGARLOAF MOUNTAIN.

THE SAUCER SHAPED STRUCTURE.

CONCEPTUAL DRAWINGS

PLAN

SECTION

OSCAR NIEMEYER CULTURAL CENTRE THE OSCAR NIEMEYER INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL CENTRE IS THE RESULT

OF THE COMBINATION OF A CULTURAL COMPLEX DESIGNED BY BRAZILIAN ARCHITECT NIEMEYER AND AN INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL PROJECT,THE CENTER IS LOCATED IN ASTURIAS (SPAIN).IT WAS INAUGURATED ON 26 MAY 2011.

STYLE AND COLOURS THE MAIN FEATURES IN NIEMEYER,S WORK ARE THE CURVES.THE COLOURS ARE ALSO FEATURES: MAINLY WHITE,RED,YELLOW AND BLUE.

THE NIEMEYER CENTRE IS FORMED BY FIVE ELEMENTS THAT COMPLEMENT ONE EACH OTHER.• THE OPEN SQUARE• THE AUDITORIUM• THE DOME• THE TOWER• THE MULTI PURPOSE BUILDING

SITE PLAN

MULTI PURPOSE HALL

EXHIBITION HALL

SIGHT SEEING TOWER

AUDITORIUMOPEN SQUARE FOR HUMAN KIND

AUDITORIUM ELEVATIONS

SECTIONS

AAUDITORIUM

EXHIBITION HALLE SIGHT SEEING TOWER

CONCLUSIONS AND LEARNINGS

SIMPLE STRUCTURES WITHOUT MUCH ORNAMENTATION.MOULDING THE REIN FORCED CONCRETE INTO MANY

CONTEMPORARY FORMS.NOT RESTRICTING TO TRADITIONAL STRAIGHT LINES.CREATING SPACES IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT HAS LARGE OPEN

SPACES FOR INTERACTION OF PEOPLE.DESIGNING THE STRUCTURE IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT DOESN’T

EFFECT THE SURROUNDINGS NATURAL FEATURES.USAGE OF BRIGHT COLOURS ONLY TO HIGHLIGHT SOME

IMPORTANT PARTS OF THE DESIGN.

•1936 – Gustavo Capanema Palace, Ministry of Education and Health, Rio de Janeiro – contributed to the Le Corbusier project.•1937 – Associação Beneficente Obra do Berço (Association of Charitable Work) – created a vertical brise soleil.•1938 – Grande Hotel de Ouro Preto•1939 – Brazil’s pavilion at 1939 New York World's Fair – contributed to the Lucio Costa project.1940 – Church of Saint Francis of Assisi and other buildings at Pampulha in Belo Horizonte, southeastern Brazil.1946 – Headquarters of Banco Boavista in Candelaria, Rio de Janeiro.1946 – Colegio Cataguases (Odessa College).1947 – United Nations Headquarter in New York City.1947 - Centro Técnico Aeroespacial in São José dos Campos, SP1951 – Ibirapuera Park (with landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx).1951 – JK Building (Juscelino Kubitschek).1951 – Edifício Copan (Copan Building) 38-story residential building in São Paulo, Brazil.1952 – Casa das Canoas – Niemeyer’s personal home in Canoas, Rio de Janeiro.1954 – Residência Cavanelas.1954 – Museu de Arte Moderna em Caracas (Museum of Modern Art in Caracas) .1954 – Interbau buildings project in the Hansaviertel district, part of the reconstruction of Berlin.1954 – Edifício Montreal (Montreal Building) in São Paulo.1955 – Edifício Califórnia (California Building) in downtown São Paulo (with Carlos Lemos).

ANNEXURE

• 1955 – Edifício Triângulo (Triangle Building), São Paulo.• 1956 – Edifício Eiffel (Eiffel Building) located in Republic Square, São Paulo.• 1956 – Residência Provisória do Presidente da República (Provisional Residence of the President).• 1958 – Hospital da Lagoa (Lagoa Hospital) built in Lagoa, Rio de Janeiro.• 1956 - Residência Provisória do Presidente da República (Catetinho).• 1957 – Eixo Monumental (Monumental Axis).• 1957 – Palácio da Alvorada (English: Palace of Dawn) Presidential residence.• 1958 – Catedral Metropolitana Nossa Senhora Aparecida (Cathedral of Brasília).• 1958 – Church of Our Lady of Fatima ("Igrejinha Nossa Senhora de Fátima"/"A Igrejinha da

307/308 Sul")• 1958 – National Congress of Brazil (Congresso Nacional).• 1958 – Supremo Tribunal Federal or STF (Supreme Federal Tribunal) Federal Supreme Court.• 1958 – Palácio do Planalto (Palace of the Highlands) Presidential office.• 1958 – Cláudio Santoro National Theater (National Theater).• 1959 – Palácio do Jaburu (Palace of the Jabiru) Vice-presidential residence.• 1960 – Praça dos Três Poderes (Square of the Three Powers).• 1960 - Cine Brasília.• 1962 – Palácio do Itamaraty (Ministry of External Relations).• 1962 – Ministério da Justiça or "Palácio da Justiça" (Ministry of Justice).• 1962 – Universidade de Brasília main building, the Central Institute of Science (Instituto Central

de Ciências, ICC).• 1965 – Aeroporto de Brasilia (Project was never built).• 1985 – Panteão da Pátria e da Liberdade Tancredo Neves (Pantheon of the Fatherland and

freedom)

• 1986 - Casa do Cantador (Palácio da Poesia).• 1987 – Memorial dos Povos Indígenas (Memorial of the Aboriginal Peoples) .• 1995 - Superior Tribunal de Justiça.• 2002 – Sede da Procuradoria Geral da República Brasileira (Attorney General's Office).• 2006 – Cultural Complex of the Republic (Complexo Cultural da República). Biblioteca Nacional Leonel de Moura Brizola (National Library of Brasília). Museu Nacional Honestino Guimarães (National Museum Honestino Guimarães). Tribunal Superior do Trabalho.• 2008 - Sede da Ordem dos Advogados do Brasil.• 2011 – Tribunal Superior Eleitoral.• 2012 – Torre de Televisão Digital (Brasília Digital Television Tower).

BOOKS BY OSCAR NIEMEYER• The Curves Of Time• Conversa De Arquitecto• Dunya Adil Degil• Wir Mussen Die Welt Verandern• Meu Sosia E Eu• Casas On De Morei• A Forma Na Arquitetura• Rene Burri.Brasilia• Niemeyer Par Lui-meme

AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES (1949)

MEDAL OF THE ORDER OF MERIT OF LABOUR (BRAZIL, 1959)

INTERNATIONAL LENIN PEACE PRIZE (1963)

GOLDEN LION OF THE VENICE BIENNALE (ITALY, 1963)

HONORARY MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS (1963)

HONORARY MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ARTS AND LETTERS

(USA, 1964) HONORARY MEMBER OF THE ACADEMY OF ARTS OF THE

USSR (1983)

PRITZKER PRIZE FOR ARCHITECTURE (1988) (WITH GORDON BUNSHAFT)

PRINCE OF A0STURIAS AWARD (1989)

HONORARY DOCTOR OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BRASÍLIA (1989) 

BIBLIOGRAPHY Emery, Marc (1983), “Furniture by Architects” Scnd Edition, Harry N. Abrams.

New York Niemeyer, Oscar (1983), “The Curves of Time: The Memoirs of Oscar Niemeyer”

First Edition, Park Avenue, London Christopher Hall: "The Mark of a Master", in Architectural Digest, October 2006

 William J. R. Curtis in "Oscar Niemeyer: architects and critics pay tribute", in The Guardian, December 7, 2012

Stamo Papadaki. The Work of Oscar Niemeyer p. 19 http://style.time.com/2012/12/06/creating-a-city-out-of-wildnerness-oscar-

niemeyer-1907-2012/photo/mac-museu-de-arte-contemporanea-de-niteroi-rio-de-janeiro-1996-2/

https://nostalgicfuturist.wordpress.com/2012/12/18/oscar-niemeyer-architecture-and-ideology/

http://muar.ru/new/en/component/k2/item/433-oscar-niemeyer-poetry-of-form

http://www.greekarchitects.gr/en/books-review/oscar-niemeyer-curves-of-irreverence-id329

  

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