Oscar Niemeyer

1907-2012

Described by many as one of the most innovative and daring Architects in the last 60 years, Niemeyer was someone who co-designed the purpose built Brasilia, the new capital of Brazil. He was a protege of Charles-Edouard Jeannerent, Le Corbusier to the Architecture world, who was one of the pioneers of what we call Modern Architecture, so Oscar Niemeyer learnt from the best!

 

Much like Santiago Calatrava, Oscar was an explorer in the realms of Architecture, he didn't see concrete as having boundaries and looked deeply into using it for many abstract shapes and curves on his designs, and this is something that became of great influence on Architecture in both the 20th and the 21st centuries.

 

In 1930's, he worked as an intern with Lucio Costa a French born Brazilian Architect, progressing through the ranks and working with Costa on many different projects and it wasn't until the 40's and 50's that people really stood back and took notice of what was going on in Brazil, but the world opened it's eyes to Oscar Niemeyer after he designed the Church of Saint Francis of Assisi and he received critical acclaim and was recognised by everybody. It was after he drew international recognition that he started doing designs overseas and not just in his native Brazil.

 

In 1947 he was asked to design the Headquarters for the United Nations, this was something that his mentor Corbusier asked if he could collaborate on with him, to which Oscar agreed. They submitted 50 different designs between them, and it was Oscar's project 32 that was chosen. Shortly after the construction of the United Nations HQ, he was asked to teach at both Yale and Harvard Universities, two of the most prestigious universities around the world. 

 

 Juscelino Kubitschek became the new president of Brazil 1956 and had an idea of creating a new capital for Brazil, Brasilia and he wanted Oscar Neimeyer to be the man who made his wildest dreams into a reality. Oscar created a competition, where designers from far and wide came up with different designs on how the new capital would be laid out. It was none other than the person who helped Oscar get a foot in the door, Lucio Costa, who won this competition and whilst Oscar would design the building for the capital, Lucio would design the city. In my eyes, two of Oscar's most iconic designs were here in Brasilia, the National Congress of Brazil building and the Cathedral of Brasilia. These two building to me epitomises what Niemeyer stood for with his abstract shapes and uses of curves, pushing the use of reinforced concrete to a new stage.

 Oscar Niemeyer had a distinct love for both his country and for Architecture. After the military dictatorship had finished, he returned to Brazil after staying in Europe and designing buildings across the European continent. Even as he grew older, he still continued to work and although this drew criticism from some people, with one reporter from the New York Times saying, "the greatest threat to Mr. Niemeyer’s remarkable legacy may not be the developer’s bulldozer or insensitive city planners, but Mr. Niemeyer himself" questioning whether he was still capable of producing the quality of designs that he has done throughout his illustrioius career, but to me it didn't matter how old he was, he still had the capability of producing the most incredible designs the world had seen!

Like many aspiring Architects the world over, Oscar Neimeyer, will always be an inspiration to me, ensuring that we continue to push the boundaries of Architecture as we know it. I will leave you with a quote that encapsulates what Oscar Niemeyer stood for!

"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."