Brasilia, a materialised utopia
Maija Kairamo, Architect, DoCoMoMo Finland
The huge federal state of Brazil covers a half of South America and its population is the
sixth greatest in the world. It has many cities, population of which is over million
inhabitants, Sao Paulo, the biggest of the southern hemisphere, having 15 million
inhabitants. It is a country of extremes.
Already in the 19th century an idea arose to move the capital city to central parts of the
country. This dream was realised when president Juscelino Kubitschek decided to build
the new capital city. Lucio Costa won the town plan competition in 1957 and the new town
was inaugurated in 1960.
The city was right from the beginning considered as culturally valuable and a special law
stated that "any change in the Plano Piloto, which determines the urban layout of Brasilia,
is dependent upon Federal Law". Already in December 1987 Brasilia Plano Piloto was
registered as world Cultural Heritage site. However in the national register it entered
in 1990.
The architectural high point of Brasilia is its main axes composed of white concrete, steel
and glass structures designed by Oscar Niemeyer, Lucio Costa and other architects and
artists. The futuristic forms of architecture prove to be ecological in the hot climate.
However the brave concrete structures after sixty years show signs of deterioration. The
problems of the ageing concrete, known everywhere in the world, are visible also here.
How to preserve the elegance of these white beauties will be a difficult and expensive
task.
The third generation is growing up and those who have born in this modern, scientifically
planned megastructure know how to use their city. After sixty ears the city has begun to
live its own dynamic life. The city is now growing beyond the original ideas, wild favelas
grow around the original planned area.
