A 50 year old capital city?

Forget Canberra, Brasilia the capital of Brazil is not much more than twice my age. The 50th aniversary of the switch from Rio De Janerio to Brasilia as the capital of Brazil has just recently occurred. But this is not my main reason of interest in this subject; it's the architecture and planning which is used in the metropolis. Architect Oscar Niemeyer was responsible for the design of numerous buildings including the National Congress and the National Museum, both bordering on sci-fi in a period of the space age dream.

Below is a link to a series of images showing the building of Brasilia by the BBC.

Brasilia celebrates 50 years - in pictures

The National Congress

The National Museum

I like to think the image above shows how Modernism should be appreciated. It is sophsticated design, the simple linear forms are beautiful not only in an aesthetical sense but also through practicality. In the background is the National Congress.

BBC - Brasilia article

Also featured in issue 081 of Icon magazine