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The historic center of the Ukrainian port city of Odesa and sites in Yemen and Lebanon were added to the World Heritage List Wednesday by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). All three sites were simultaneously added to UNESCO’s List of World Heritage in Danger.
The statement said that the decision would give Ukraine access to “technical and financial international assistance” to protect and rehabilitate the city center.
— CNN
Both the Yemeni site and, of course, Odesa were placed under the category in response to the ongoing conflicts afflicting both countries. The latter being of constant "grave concern” to the UN’s cultural body since its inception 11 months ago. The third site, Rachid Karami International... View full entry
At least 1,200 protesters were detained for questioning in the wake of the storming of Brazil’s capital buildings, a spokesman for the civil police said on Monday, as the authorities began dismantling the tent city where supporters of Jair Bolsonaro, the far-right former president, had been camping out since he lost October’s election. — The New York TImes
Among the buildings designed by Oscar Niemeyer reported to be damaged are the Palácio do Planalto (Presidential Palace), National Congress building, and the Supreme Court, which several outlets reported were the primary target of protesters that had camped out in the capital for weeks... View full entry
A unique hexagonal residential building equipped with a distinctive aluminum “second skin” by Gisele Borges Arquitetura has risen in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Influenced by Brazilian architect, Oscar Niemeyer, the architects created a V-shaped pillar in order to... View full entry
France’s Château La Coste will make history this summer with the realization of one of Oscar Niemeyer’s last architectural drawings. Set idyllically amongst the Château’s 500-acre estate in one of the country’s most significant wine regions, the latest in a series of pavilions will... View full entry
Under the Brutalist concrete dome of the Espace Niemeyer, the headquarters of the French Communist Party, which it turns out also bears a marked resemblance to a Martian bio-dome, the voice of the American mycologist Paul Stamets boomed out, reciting a paean to the powers of fungi to open the show. — The New York Times
Located in the Colonel Fabien in Paris’ 19th arrondissement, the sinewy building has been a favorite among fashion week art directors since the party’s finances dictating renting out the building after its opening in 1980. Fashion mainstays like Thom Browne, Yeezy, Prada, and others have all... View full entry
Brasília’s design limitations offer a crucial lesson for many other cities. By resisting the temptation to fill every square inch of space on their paper and instead leaving as many blank areas as possible, architects and urban planners can allow people and changing times to co-create a city as spontaneous as life. — Project Syndicate
Carlo Ratti revealed plans last year for a one-million-square-meter extension of Brasília dubbed BIOTIC. Oscar Niemeyer's UNESCO World Heritage Site has been in disrepair for several decades. The whole text of Ratti's essay can be found here. View full entry
This is a good year to visit Niemeyer’s work since it marks the 60th anniversary of the inauguration of Brasília, the gleaming new capital of Brazil masterplanned by Lúcio Costa and designed by Niemeyer, built from scratch in barely four years and completed in 1960. I finally had my chance to visit the mother lode. — The Guardian
For The Guardian, Chris Hall on Oscar Niemeyer's modernist architectural legacy in Brazil, and arguably his greatest achievement — designing (with Lúcio Costa) the country's built-from-scratch capital Brasília six decades ago. "If Rio is a creased duvet with the built environment and... View full entry
The 1964 Strick House, is located in one of Los Angeles's most famous architectural enclaves; Santa Monica's highly sought after La Mesa Drive. This Modernist Architectural work is one of the most significant in the world and was Oscar Niemeyer's only residential project in North America. With its vaulted ceilings, walls of glass, and overlooking the Riviera Country Club, this estate holds unrivaled pedigree. — Zillow
Los Angeles is the site of a significant number of mid-century gems, but the 1964 Strick House is a superlative of its own. The 5,000 square foot, single story residence overlooks the Riviera Country Club in Santa Monica, but it also contains its own tropical gardens within its half-acre lot... View full entry
A concrete performing arts venue in Cuernavaca, Mexico that sits adjacent to an archaeological site has won the Oscar Niemeyer Award for Latin American Architecture. Started in 2016 by Redbaal, a network of Latin American architecture biennials, the biennial prize honors an exemplary project built... View full entry
Niemeyer originally designed the property for his wife’s sister, Carmen Baldo. Seven years ago, Baldo’s children sold it to the artist Adriana Varejão and her partner, the film producer Pedro Buarque. — The New York Times
The New York Times shows off a newly renovated home in Brazil designed by Oscar Niemeyer, one of the country's greatest architects. The five year long upgrade was carried out by Brazilian artist Adriana Varejão and her partner, the film producer Pedro Buarque, who dramatically transformed the... View full entry
Another Oscar Niemeyer headquarters building in France has been newly explored by photographer Denis Esakov. This concrete undertaking was previously home to L'Humanité, a daily newspaper formerly a branch of the French Communist Party. Niemeyer completed this project in 1989 – take a look... View full entry
Oscar Niemeyer's Communist party headquarters in Paris was recently captured by photographer Denis Esakov. Take a new look at the Brazilian architect's concrete achievement, one of his first in Europe. View full entry
Sérgio Bernardes was a star of 60s Brazil, a brilliant architect and a mesmerising man. And then almost forgotten. His grandson has made a film to discover what happened — theguardian.com
The São Paulo Biennial, which opened on September 6, is traditionally a contemporary art festival, but this year’s event puts new emphasis on architecture. Chief curator Charles Esche commissioned nearly 70 percent of the exhibition’s artworks, collaborating with a five-person curatorial team that included an architect for the first time in the biennial’s 63-year history (fun fact: it’s the world’s second-oldest contemporary art biennial). — blouinartinfo.com
“We’re not used to seeing this shape in our country...We haven’t anything like this in Algeria. It’s very beautiful. It’s like a bird.” - Mekki Damerdji, an architect and professor in Algiers — NYT Magazine
Julie Bosman highlighted the work of Jason Oddy who has photographed some of the lesser known projects of Oscar Niemeyer. Niemeyer, a Communist who fled to France following the military takeover of Brazil in 1964, designed 12 buildings in Algeria in the late 1960s although only 4 have been built... View full entry
