A small presentation on Brazilian Architect Oscar Niemeyer, his bio and a brief look into 2 of his projects.

1. THEORY OF
ARCHITECTURE
PROJECTON THE
“MASTER
OF
CURVED
CONCRETE”
OSCAR
NIEMEYER
BY PRANAYITA
MYADAM
1ST
YEAR B.ARCH.- B

2. Index
•Introduction to Oscar
Niemeyer
•His Design Philosophy
•Noteworthy Projects and
awards
•Cathedral of Brasília
•Palácio do Planalto
•Conclusion

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. • Brazilian National Museum, Brasilia
• The Cathedral of Brasília

8. • Oscar Niemeyer Museum, Curitiba, Paraná,
Brasil.
• Niterói Contemporary Art Museum, Niterói, Rio
de Janeiro, Brazil.

9. • French Communist Party H.Q
• National Congress of Brazil

10. • 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.

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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.

18. 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.