Building Brasilia: Modern architecture and national identity in Brazil

The creation of Brazil's national capital Brasília is the best-known achievement of Brazilian architecture. Following its inauguration in April 1960 Brasília became the focus of international debate. Up to the present moment this important chapter of world architecture and criticism has been little more than a footnote in the annals of architectural history. The present dissertation aims to fill this historiographic gap within the domain of architectural history, theory and criticism.; The building of Brasília in the 1950's was both a confirmation of the country's wide acceptance of International Modernism and a demonstration of a very particular development of Modernism—one that assimilated cultural characteristics and regional requirements. The first part of the dissertation, “Modern Architecture in Brazil,” analyzes how this quality of being modern and truly Brazilian remains at the heart of Brasilia's symbolism and of the Brazilian Modern Movement in general. It also examines the particular contributions of Brasília's architects, Lúcio Costa and Oscar Niemeyer, in the formulation of a “national style”. The second part, “Building a New Brazil” looks into the political and socio-economic expectations permeating the creation of the new Brazilian capital from the 18th to the 20th century. The third part, “Brasília 1960: The City Miracle and Capital of the Future” focuses on the conception, construction and inauguration of the capital city between 1957 and 1960 and provides a panorama of the city's social history until the end of the democratic regime in 1964. The fourth part, “Brasília Today: The City Monument,” traces the development of Brasília from 1964 until today and presents the most recent renovation and expansion projects presumably to be built in the city within the next few years. The fifth and final part of the dissertation, “The Critical Discourse” traces the critical and contradictory reception of Brasília in the national and international professional circles. The concluding remarks discuss the various perspectives that have mediated the discourse on Brasília throughout, and provide an updated criticism of the Brazilian enterprise.