THEORY OF ARCHITECTURE

PROJECT ON THE “MASTER

OF

CURVED CONCRETE”

OSCAR NIEMEYER

BY PRANAYITA MYADAM

1ST YEAR B.ARCH.- B

Index

• Introduction to Oscar Niemeyer

• His Design Philosophy

• Noteworthy Projects and awards

• Cathedral of Brasília

• Palácio do Planalto

• Conclusion

OSCAR

NIEMEYER (December 15, 1907 – December 5, 2012)

Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho known as Oscar Niemeyer was a Brazilian architect who is considered to be one of the key figures in the development of modern architecture. His exploration of the aesthetic possibilities of reinforced concrete was highly influential on the architecture of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

His exploration of the aesthetic possibilities of reinforced concrete was highly influential on the architecture of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Both lauded and criticized for being a "sculptor of monuments", Niemeyer was praised for being a great artist and one of the greatest architects of his generation by his supporters. He said his architecture was strongly influenced by Le Corbusier, but in an interview, assured that this "didn't prevent [his] architecture from going in a different direction". Born in Rio de Janeiro, Niemeyer's first major project was the design of a series of buildings for Pampulha, a planned suburb north of Belo Horizonte. His work, especially on the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi, received critical acclaim, and drew Niemeyer international attention. Due to his largely leftist ideology, and involvement with the Brazilian Communist Party (PCB), Niemeyer left the country after the 1964 military coup, and subsequently opened an office in Paris. He returned to Brazil in 1985, and was awarded the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1988. Over a career of 78 years he designed approximately 600 projects Niemeyer died in Rio de Janeiro on December 5, 2012, at the age of 104, ten days before his 105th birthday.

 The Church of Saint Francis of Assisi.

DESIGN PHILOSOPHY

Niemeyer was most famous for his use of abstract forms and curves that characterize most of his works, and wrote in his memoirs: “I am not attracted to straight angles or to the straight line, hard and inflexible, created by man. I am attracted to free-flowing, sensual curves. The curves that I find in the mountains of my country, in the sinuousness of its rivers, in the waves of the ocean, and on the body of the beloved woman. Curves make up the entire Universe, the curved Universe of Einstein.” "If you only worry about function, the result stinks," Niemeyer once said of his design philosophy. Fluid lines and a respect for nature characterize his style. His role models were Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe and Alvar Aalto.

 Oscar Niemeyer International Cultural Center, Avilés, Spain.

NOTEWORTHY PROJECTS

Brasília is the capital of Brazil and the seat of government of the Federal District. The city is located along the Brazilian Highlands on the country's Central-West region. It was founded on April 21, 1960, to serve as the new national capital.

Brasília was planned and developed by Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer in 1956 in order to move the capital from Rio de Janeiro to a more central position. The city's design divides it into numbered blocks as well as sectors for specified activities, such as the Hotel Sector, the Banking Sector and the Embassy Sector. Brasília was chosen as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its modernist architecture.

• Brazilian National Museum, Brasilia

• The Cathedral of Brasília

• Oscar Niemeyer Museum, Curitiba, Paraná, Brasil.

• Niterói Contemporary Art Museum, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

• French Communist Party H.Q

• National Congress of Brazil

• Palácio do Alvorada

• The U.N. Headquarters, as built, is a collaboration

between Niemeyer and Corbusier. The entire U.N. H.Q. campus is undergoing a total renovation now till 2014. In the interim.

                                                                   

AWARDS

• Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1949)

• International Lenin Peace Prize (1963) • Honorary Member of the American Institute of Architects (1963) • Honorary Member of the National Institute of Arts and

Letters (USA, 1964) • Pritzker Prize for Architecture (1988) (with Gordon Bunshaft) • Prince of Asturias Award (1989) • Unesco Award in the category of Culture (2001) • "20th century architect" (Superior Council of the Institute of

Architects of Brazil, 2001) • Konex Award (Argentina, 2002) • Praemium Imperiale (Japan, 2004) • Patron of Brazilian architecture, declared by Law No. 11,117,

of May 18, 2005 • ALBA Arts Award (Venezuela, 2008), Cuba, Bolivia,

Nicaragua.

CATHEDRAL OF

BRASILIA

The Cathedral of Brasília is the Roman Catholic cathedral serving Brasília, Brazil, and serves as the seat of the Archdiocese of Brasília. It was designed by Oscar Niemeyer, and was completed and dedicated on May 31, 1970. Description: In the square access to the cathedral, are four 3-meter (9.8 ft) tall bronze sculptures representing the four Evangelists created by sculptor Dante Croce in 1968. A 20-meter (66 ft) tall bell tower containing four large bells donated by Spanish residents of Brazil and

cast in Miranda de Ebro also stands outside the cathedral, to the right as visitors face the entrance. At the entrance of the cathedral is a pillar with passages from the life of Mary, mother of Jesus, painted by Athos.

A 12-meter (39 ft) wide, 40-centimeter (16 in) deep reflecting pool surrounds the cathedral roof, helping to cool the cathedral. Visitors pass under this pool when entering the cathedral. Visitors enter into the cathedral through a dark tunnel and emerge into a bright space with a glass roof. The outer roof of the cathedral is composed of sixteen pieces of fiberglass, each 10 meters (33 ft) wide at the base and 30 meters (98 ft) long inserted

between the concrete pillars. Under this is suspended a 2,000-square-meter (22,000 sq ft) stained glass work originally created in 1990 by Marianne Peretti, in shades of blue, green, white, and brown.

Inside the cathedral over the nave are sculptures of three angels, suspended by steel cables. Under the main altar is a small chapel accessible by steps from on either side of and behind the altar.

Success of Design: This concrete-framed hyperboloid structure, appears with its glass roof to be reaching up, open, to heaven. Most of the cathedral is below ground, with only the 70-meter (230 ft) diameter 42-meter (138 ft) roof of the cathedral, the ovoid roof of the baptistery, and the bell tower visible above ground. The hyperboloid structure consists of 16 identical concrete columns assembled on site. These columns, having hyperbolic section and weighing 90 tonnes (99 tons), represent two hands moving upwards to heaven. Flaw in Design: The cathedral sees some 1,000,000 visitors each year, but its acoustics made it practically impossible to hear homilies, and the natural illumination in a very sunny city was not offset by proper ventilation. Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Brasilia, major renovations were begun on April 21, 2012 to update and repair the building and infrastructure, and address issues with the roof. The exterior glazing is being replaced, and the original stained glass designed by Marianne Peretti (which used hand made glass and thus varied widely in thickness) is being replaced by uniform glass cut and assembled in Brazil.

PALÁCIO D0 PLANALTO

The Palácio do Planalto is the official workplace of the President of Brazil. It is located in the national capital of Brasília. The building was designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer and inaugurated on April 21, 1960. It has been the workplace of every Brazilian president since Juscelino Kubitschek. It is one of the official palaces of the Presidency, along with the Palácio da Alvorada. Besides the President, a few high advisers also have offices in the Planalto, including the Vice President and the Chief of Staff.

Description: The presidential palace was a major feature of Costa's plan for the newly established capital city. Niemeyer's idea was to project an image of simplicity and modernity using fine lines and waves

to compose the columns and exterior structures. The longitudinal lines of the palace are kept by a sequence of columns whose design is a variation of those at the Palácio da Alvorada, although they were arranged transversely to the body of the building. The palace's façade is also composed by two strong elements: the ramp leading to the hall and the parlatorium, from where the president and foreign heads of state can address the public at the Praça dos Três Poderes.

A reflecting pool was built in 1991 to

increase security

around the palace and to balance

humidity levels

during the long dry

season in Brasília. It has an approximate area of 1,635 square metres (17,600 sq ft), holding 1,900 cubic metres (67,000 cu ft) of water, with a depth of 110 centimetres (3.6 ft). Several Japanese carp live in the pool. The Palace has an area of 36,000 square metres (390,000 sq ft). The main building has four floors above ground and one floor underground. The heliport is located by the north façade of the building.

Renovation: There was no major flaw in design and so it only underwent renovation to meet current demands. The Palácio do Planalto (“Palace of the Uplands”) reopened on Wednesday, 25 August 2010, after seventeen months of renovations costing 100 million reais (US$ 56 million). This was the Palácio do Planalto’s first facelift in 50 years. The plumbing and electrical were upgraded, new elevators

installed, and the air conditioning system replaced. The headquarters of the federal government now has an expanded underground car park with 500 spaces, and the floor with the president’s office has received bulletproof glass in the room where foreign dignitaries are received. The façade of the building was also restored.

All the furniture in the building is now Brazilian-made, including many pieces that have been restored 400 tables, among them two used by president Juscelino Kubitschek, the man who built Brasilia. Another famous table in

the Palace is a huge one used for cabinet meetings.

The very long table was designed by Oscar Niemeyer and can seat 38 ministers — 19 on each side. The building is now more faithful to the original design, with more

open spaces.

CONCLUSION

The Brazilian architect, who rose to prominence in the 1940s, pushed the limits of concrete. He took a material that had historically been used for slabs, beams and pillars and sculpted it into arches and curves of every kind. At a time when modernist architecture was characterized by ‘rational’ right angles, Niemeyer took his inspiration from Brazil’s beaches, rivers, ocean waves, and women.

Seen today, many of Niemeyer’s designs still feel like they come from the future, or at least the future that was promised by the space age.