Archinect - News

Master Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer passes away at 104

2012-12-05T19:16:00-05:00

"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." - Oscar Niemeyer, 2000, The Curves of Time: The Memoirs of Oscar Niemeyer

We are sad to announce that one of history's most talented, dedicated, inspirational, and passionate architects has passed away at the age of 104 years, 10 days before his 105th birthday. Oscar Niemeyer has been in and out of the hospital a number of times this year due to complications related to various health issues, while never letting his focus deviate from his life's work.

Some photos of Oscar Niemeyer, and his work, throughout the years...

Ministries Esplanade with several of Niemeyer's buildings: the Nati...

Richard Meier in Rio: Modernism Meets Tropicalia in the Architect's South American Debut

2012-05-03T14:21:00-04:00

After spending last year traipsing below the border to break ground on his first few projects in Mexico, Richard Meier is heading below the equator to start his first South American project: a light, modernist office building in the beach-lined metropolis and future Olympic host city Rio de Janeiro.

Before Olympics It's Demolition Derby

2012-03-05T15:13:00-05:00

The authorities think progress is demolishing our community just so they can host the Olympics for a few weeks

Brazilian government is evicting people and demolishing thousands of homes to stage the Olympics and the World Cup.

“These events were supposed to celebrate Brazil’s accomplishments, but the opposite is happening,” said Christopher Gaffney, a professor at Rio’s Fluminense Federal University. “We’re seeing an insidious pattern of trampling on the rights of the poor and cost overruns that are a nightmare.”

The favela evictions have struck a particular nerve on the streets. A network of activists in 12 cities estimates that as many as 170,000 people may face eviction ahead of the World Cup and the Olympics. In Rio, evictions are taking place in slums across the city, including the Metrô favela near the Maracanã stadium, where residents who refused to move live amid the rubble of bulldozed homes.

Oscar Niemeyer turns 104 today

2011-12-15T12:24:00-05:00

The man who was awarded the 1988 Pritzker Prize continues to devote his afternoons to working on new projects, including a theatre with a capacity for 2 500 people on Flamengo Park, near Rio's Sugarloaf Mountain. "I came up with a solution that is capable of prompting surprise and attracting the public: a magnificent dome which would be built before the Sugarloaf Mountain," he recently wrote.

Vis-à-vis with Fernanda Marques: The Malibu Residence in São Paolo, Brazil

2011-07-13T08:51:02-04:00

Archinect's Building of the Week series is brought to you by our friends at OpenBuildings.com, the web's most comprehensive directory of buildings.

São Paulo-based architect Fernanda Marques is one of the most versatile, comprehensive and innovative designers of our time. Her unique style in architecture provokes sensations. As Le Corbusier writes: 'a series of sensations is like melody in music.. The melody is the idea, harmony is the means, the tool, the presentation of the idea.'

What is the parti in the project?

Escaping the obvious, presenting innovating solutions and making full use of technology.

How are the spaces laid out and articulated?

On the lower floor the emphasis was placed on enhancing the living areas so as to provide full integration between the areas. The gourmet kitchen was opened onto the dining-room, the staircase and the lift shaft casing were built of clear glass, to integrate the living area and the home-theatre and the outside area, where a...

Results of the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Port Competition

2011-07-08T21:39:36-04:00

In the competition for the Olympic Port in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the winning entries have been announced. [...] The competition aims to rebuild the old harbor area of Rio and thus be an important agent of this long-awaited process of urban renewal for the city and the entire region.

New ideas for sustainable architecture in the Americas

2011-07-05T13:30:19-04:00

... in Rio de Janeiro, city officials are working with architects to integrate the notorious favelas with the rest of the city by new cable car lines and a walkway designed by famed architect Oscar Niemeyer designed. Rio's government and business community are also funding the Morar Carioca architectural competition that will hire 30 architects to build healthy homes, schools, and clinics for the city's poorest 200,000 residents.

Real Estate Developer Uses Facebook As A Crowdsourcing Platform

2011-06-22T11:43:15-04:00

Brazilian real estate developer Gafisa decided to ask people directly, what they want in their new apartments? Launched last week, the Edifício Colaborativo (Collaborative Building) initiative transformed the company’s fan page on Facebook in a crowdsourcing platform, intended to harvest innovative ideas for a new building.

Click here to visit the Facebook page.

Niemeyer’s still got it.

2011-04-21T12:53:00-04:00

The tower is unmistakably a Niemeyer creation. Standing tall in the heat of Brazil’s interior, it’s concrete dressed in a whitewash, the tower, like all his other creations looks as if it has been plucked from a 1960s conception of a city on the moon.

The Buzz from Brazil, reports on Torre Digital TV Tower, 104-year-old Oscar Niemeyer's latest project in Brasilia. News via this discussion.

Children build 'world's tallest' Lego tower in Brazil

2011-04-14T01:22:28-04:00

Thousands of children in Brazil have built what organisers say is the world's tallest Lego tower - with a bit of help from parents and a crane. Organisers say the tower, which was made with 500,000 pieces and measured over 102ft, beat a previous record held in Chile.