Concrete Expression - Oscar Niemeyer - Pidgeon Digital

Concrete Expression | Oscar Niemeyer | Pidgeon Digital 14/05/20, 15:51
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Concrete Expression
Oscar Niemeyer
OSCAR NIEMEYER
©Monica Pidgeon
I would like to speak in English, it would be more natural and beautiful, but it's very
difficult for me. I have to speak in Portuguese to make very clear my idea. But I can
tell you something that happened to me years ago. I was in front of the Doge's Palace
in Venice, and I looked this Palace so beautiful, no? - and see that the columns are so
beautiful, so elaborated, supporting the big hall, and very simple, no? And I was
enthused with the contrast of the columns, so elaborate, with the closed wall that
they support. And I think to write a sort of dialogue, as if I was speaking with another
architect. And in this dialogue I ask him "what do you think about this Palace?" and he
answers "It's wonderful". "But what do you think about the columns?" He says
"They're marvellous". But you don't think that the columns can be more simple and
functional? And he says "Ah, naturally". But I say "Let's see, if the columns could be
more simple and functional, we'll lose the contrast between these columns so rich
and the facade?" And he says "Ah, that's true". And this shows that when the form, the
architectural form goes to beauty and contrast, they have a function, they are
functional.
https://www-pidgeondigital-com.proxy-auth3.iuav.it/talks/concrete-expression/chapters/ Pagina 1 di 20
2
CHURCH OF S. FRANCISCO, PAMPULHA, BELO
HORIZONTE, BRAZIL
©Oscar Niemeyer
Church in Pampulha, Belo Horizonte. This is the San Francisco church in Pampulha,
Belo Horizonte, that I made forty years ago. The ceiling shows the curves that the
reinforced concrete permits. The church was too modern at this time and has been
closed by a long period. I made Pampulha when I was leaving school in 1940, and I
tried to make the church in the accord with my ideas about concrete. I built outside
all the old ideas about church architecture, and do something different in the way
concrete permits. I made the curves and I tried to use some new materials, and I
think it is good, the church.
3
RESTAURANT, PAMPULHA, BRAZIL
©Oscar Niemeyer
A restaurant. Then I made the plan of a restaurant in an island. It's very simple, but I
show that we can use the concrete different. The restaurant is in Pampulha. The free
curves of the ceiling 'marquise' have been used later several times in other buildings.
ALVORADA PALACE, BRASILIA, BRAZIL

©Monica Pidgeon
Alvorada, Brasilia. The Palace of Alvorada was the first building constructed in
Brasilia. This structure and the architecture have been studied together. I tried to
use the columns to fix its architecture. The columns of this Palace is now the symbol
of Brasilia. They have been used in objects, furniture and other buildings. Even
outside. I don't know sometimes the people come to Brasilia and I am never
preoccupied because I know that if they look at the Palace in Brasilia, they can like or
not the Palace, but they can never say that they have seen something equal before.
PLANALTO PALACE, BRASILIA, BRAZIL

©Monica Pidgeon
The Palace of Planalto in Brasilia is the place where works the President. Like in the
others, the structure of concrete characterises the architecture. It is my principle,
when an architectural element creates beauty, beauty is its principal function. I try to
use the columns to fix its architecture. It's very free, the solution, and I think it is - as I
spoke to you about the Doge's Palace in Venice - I tried to use the columns with my
more free idea.
6
SECTION THROUGH CONGRESS BUILDINGS,
BRASILIA, BRAZIL
©Oscar Niemeyer
Congress in Brasilia. If you look at the Congress you will be surprised because of the
Forms that I use. But it's very fashionable.
CONGRESS BUILDINGS, BRASILIA, BRAZIL

©Monica Pidgeon
The Congress building is the most important in Brasilia. The two cupolas represent
the Plenarium. They are the principal elements of the Congress. My objective was to
make them the most important in this whole.
CATHEDRAL , BRASILIA, BRAZIL

©Oscar Niemeyer
The Cathedral in Brasilia. when I started the Cathedral in Brasilia, I wanted to do

something completely different. I know the old cathedral is very closed, no? I tried to
make something very different. I made the gallery the way to go into the Cathedral,
the gallery is very dark, and when the people went in the Cathedral, they have the
surprise of light and colour. When we draw the Cathedral in Brasilia, I tried to make
something very light and modern. Cathedrals have always shown the evolution oF
architecture. This Cathedral expresses reinforced concrete. If you look at this slide,
you can feel that the cathedral was built in concrete and so light, and that the
engineer was a good one.
9
PALACE OF JUSTICE, BRASILIA, BRAZIL
©Monica Pidgeon
The Palace of Justice is another building, in Brasilia. When I have drawn this Palace, I
had the idea to use water Falling From it. The people loved it and I love it to.
10
COMMUNIST PARTY HQ, PARIS

©Oscar Niemeyer
This the Communist HQ in Paris. The program included a big hall. I designed a
subterranean hall because I did not want to occupy too much ground, but on the
contrary to keep outside a good relation between volumes and open space.
11
COMMUNIST PARTY HQ, PARIS. SCULPTURE

©Monica Pidgeon
It is another slide of the same building. Here you see the sculpture that I have made
for it. when the building was nearly finished, I feel that a sculpture was needed. I tried
to make one.
12
MOSQUE, ALGIERS
©Oscar Niemeyer
When Houari Boumediene asked me to design a mosque in Algiers, I tried to do

something different. Why make it in the city like all the others? And I proposed a
mosque in the ocean, near the beach.
13
UNIVERSITY OF CONSTANTINE, ALGIERS

©Oscar Niemeyer
After Brasilia, I started working outside. The first plan that I made outside was the
University of Constantine. When I designed the University of Constantine in Algeria,
instead of the 20 buildings proposed by the programme, I projected only 7. The plan
became more simple and economical, characterising the integrated university of
today. with this solution, I had been able to design the big square that you can see
now.
14
UNIVERSITY OF CONSTANTINE, AUDITORIUM,

ALGIERS
©Oscar Niemeyer
The Auditorium of the University of Constantine, we show how concrete can be

realised in this slide you can see the big space created and the thin slab designed.
15
UNIVERSITY OF CONSTANTINE, TEACHING

BLOCK, ALGIERS
©Oscar Niemeyer
In the lecture building of Constantine, the facade was used like a beam of five metres
height. This explains the space of 50 metres between the columns, and the cantilever
of 25.
16
LABOUR EXCHANGE, BOBIGNY, NEAR PARIS

©Oscar Niemeyer
In Paris, I designed the Labour Exchange building of Bobigny, a simple and modest
building with six floors, and the Auditorium more elaborate, creating the contrast
that architecture requires.
17
LABOUR EXCHANGE, BOBIGNY, NEAR PARIS.

ANOTHER VIEW
©Oscar Niemeyer
Here you can see the two entrances, one to the offices area, the other to the
auditorium.
18
STUDENTS HALL OF RESIDENCE, OXFORD
©Monica Pidgeon
Now a student building for the University of Oxford, very different to all the others.
It is in accord of the program, in accord with the local conditions, climate and
luminosity, and the new architecture.
19
OFFICE TOWER, LA DÉFENSE, PARIS

©Monica Pidgeon
I have designed the office building for an area in Paris called Défense, a tall building
nearly 210 metres high. I propose to put every service, and the elevator and stairs, in
two sides of the building. It permits that I can make the offices where I want, I can
leave some space open for gardens and so on; and this solution gives the building
more light, - no? - and the scheme is more flexible too.
20
MONDADORI HQ, MILAN
©Monica Pidgeon
When I presented the project of the Mondadori Building in Milan, the engineer of
concrete asked 'Can't we have the same space between all the arches?'. I refused. I
was looking for something else, a musical rhythm, which he did not seem to
understand.
21
TRADE CENTRE, MIAMI, FLORIDA

©Oscar Niemeyer
You can see now a business centre on an island near Miami - flats, hotel, shopping
centres, auditoria, and so on - a project that I like very much but, like others, until
now it was not built.
22
LEISURE CENTRE, ABU DHABI

©Monica Pidgeon
My last plan was this island near Abu Dhabi in the Middle East, a place for leisure and
culture, a program full of fantasy, that I would like to see realised. I show three
different views to you.
23
©Monica Pidgeon
Silence.
24

©Monica Pidgeon
I said always that architecture is not so important to me, and that I want explain
these things to you. I work always to governments or rich people. My work has never
been for my poor brothers in Brazil. But I know that it will not be possible to resolve
these problems in my drawing board. Only helping progressive movements, we can
do it. It's not good for my work but I do it always.
25
FRENCH COMMENTS
©Monica Pidgeon
Comments in French On m'a demand�de parler quelque chose en francais. C'est

plus facile. Ce qui est important pour moi c'est l'exprimer bien la baton. Pour moi le
problems oui existe sur le paint fonctionel de l'architecture c'est que nous avons ete
pendant deux ann�es dans un grand equivoque. Quand l'architecture
raccommencait, on pensait toujours qu'ilnous an aura de tous les possibilit�eS. Le
baton arm� proposait les solutions plus diverses. Nous pouvons l'ulitiser de toutes
les facons. La courbe etait en lui comme dens tout l'univers. Et nous avons laisse a
cotes toutes ces choses. On organisait une serie de cregres et l'architecture nous
persons faire avec beaucoup d'imagination et fantasia et arrester dans le Sisteme la
monotone-repete de l�architecture rationaliste. Cette equivoque restait pendant
des ann��s, un equivoque organise par un groupe d'architectes et un groupe de
critiques d'architecture. Je dirai seulement que j'aime beaucoup l'architecture, que je
le comprend comme toujours, l�expression de notre epoque, du progres technique
de ce monde, plein de problemes et d'ennuies. Je veux rep�ter une fois plus que le
plus important est de le faire mieux et heureux.
26
PORTUGUESE COMMENTS
©Monica Pidgeon
Comments in Portuguese TRANSLATION INTO ENGLISH OF NIEMEYER'S

STATEMENT IN PORTUGUESE I am going to tell you about my work and initially
would like to say that I do not want to persuade anyone. I started as an architect in
the 40's and Pampulha was my first project. Already at that time, having just left
school, I thought of the big mistake contemporary architecture was making. It is true,
when reinforced concrete came about, a wind of enthusiasm was felt by all the
architects of the world. A world of new shapes was offered to them, free and creative
shapes, emerging from this new type of construction. All this was lost by the then
established laws. The new and varied shapes, which the new system offered �
enormous spans, incredible cantilevers, then curved shells, which fascinated
everyone � were replaced by a functional architecture, 'Rationalist' as it was called,
an architecture unable to express the technique of reinforced concrete; a poor
architecture, so poor and monotonous, so easy to build, that in a few years it spread
sadly from the USA to Japan. When I started work in 1940 I felt all this. I felt that
reinforced concrete lead to more varied and unexpected solutions; I thought that
that was the direction one ought to work towards. When I did Pampulha, I began to
study more cut�out surfaces. I started to use curves which reinforced concrete
suggests. After all, the universe is made up of curves and the straight line is
something created by man. The architecture which interested me all my life, and
which I did all my life, was preoccupied with how best to use concrete and how to
represent it in the clearest way, without fearing curves or more varies solutions
which in those days were accused of being formalist. In this frame of mind I worked
until the construction of Brasilia. When I started to project Brasilia, my main interest
was to design an architecture which would definitely characterise the new capital, an
architecture which would derive from the structure of reinforced concrete. In the
past, on the completion of a structure one could define the columns and the floors,
and architecture was added afterwards as a completely independent element. In the
construction of Brasilia, this did not happen. When we finished, the structural
skeleton of the Palacio da Alvorada for example, architecture was already present.
When we finished the other palaces, architecture was structure itself, in search of
new and varied shapes which I believed could characterise the new capital. This was
the spirit of my architecture in Brasilia. After this, in Italy, on the San Marco Square in
Venice, sitting in front of the Doge's Palace, and observing it, I realized that I had
unintentionally started a dialogue between myself and the architect still tied to the
limiting forms of rationalist architecture. So I asked him: "what do you think of the
Palace?" and he answered: "Ah, it is tremendous!" "And the columns?" "Ah, they are
very beautiful." �But don't you think that they could be simpler and more
functional?" And he answered: "Yes they could. But if they were simpler and more
functional, they would not have the curves, this richness which creates the necessary
contrast in architecture, the contrast of a more refined form against the smooth
walls which support the Palace. The Palace would not be so beautiful" and I said:
"Yes, this is really true." So my point of view is that when a form creates beauty, it has
a function which has nothing to do with the function it is usually associated with. I
then started, for political reasons,to work abroad, outside Brazil and my pre-
occupations were not only to express reinforced concrete, but to show also how well
reinforced concrete was developed in my country. Really, when we started to do
architecture, the dialogue between the architect and the engineer was never too
easy: the former wanting finer solutions, slender forms; the latter, for reasons of
economy, wanting shorter spans, thicker columns, and so on. Because of this, with
these new solutions which we presented � larger cantilevers, enormous spans �
the work of the engineer in Brazil became very important, more creative, and he
ended up involved in the problems of our architecture. Today when we do a project
we supply the structural solutions, but the engineer is at our side to check, to verify if
everything is correct, and if it agrees with our important reasoning of the best
expression in the shaping of the reinforced concrete. This was the way I designed, for
example, the University of Constantine. There, manual labour was difficult. Even so,
we built, for example, the lecture rooms building, where the span reaches 50 metres
and the cantilever 25 metres,and showed the Algerians by leaving them an example
of how to treat reinforced concrete. In Algeria (and who is to say whether it was the
engineer's work or mine) we have, for example, two records of the use of reinforced
concrete. Not that this should interest me specifically, but for the Algerians, who are
starting to build up their country, it is important to show, in the field of architecture,
that they too can do such things. The auditorium, for example, has an 80 metre span,
with only two supports, so we always try to work in this direction. when I designed
the French Communist Party headquarters, I designed the outer perimeter in a
curve. Not that I was wanting to do a curve, but I try always to have an explanation:
behind the building I had created independent vertical access of water, electricity
and air conditioning, and this lead to this solution. Anyone visiting this building in
Paris today feels that it has something novel. It is not a rigid building. I always
rejected Rationalist architecture, because it never expresses reinforced concrete. A
metal structure cannot produce, as can reinforced concrete, an open and poetic
architecture, created with more courage and havingthe characteristics of the new
technology. But the work of an architect in any country, especially in capitalist
countries, does not represent the basic necessary characteristics. After all, we
always work; I worked for example, for governments or for people who can afford an
architect. My work never reached the poorer classes, who should also have been
reached. So the architect must be disappointed with his collaboration. However, I
don't think that architecture is as important. I do architecture. I worked for years
bent over the drawing board, but I believe there are more important things.
Sometimes I believe that architecture is of no importance at all. The important thing
in life is the fight to make a better world, and in this, architecture can help very little.
In Brazil I don't wory about social architectural problems which can never be solved
on the drawing board. If the architect is interested in social problems, if misery
concerns him, he will have to join in the social battles. This is an aspect of
architecture which I am often asked about, and I always try to emphasize that I do
what gives me pleasure. For example, Saudi � whose work does not excite me much
- is very important. He was an architect, doing well what he understood, what he
liked very much, without aiming at a masterpiece, he did what pleased him and what
he enjoyed doing. It is the social aspect of architecture which really concerns me. Yet
I have been working only on grandiose works, major constructions, important from
the aspect of architectural costing. I have never been offered a really social project, a
project in which I would Feel I was really being useful to the poor, and in which I
would be contributing to make this world better and a more just place for everyone.
Related talks:
Ricardo Bofill & Peter Kisho Kurokawa Charles Moore

Hodgkinson An All-Inclusive Symbiosis Designing With People's Desires
A New Urban Classicism 1981 1981
1981
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Concrete Expression | Oscar Niemeyer | Pidgeon Digital 14/05/20, 15:51

HOME ABOUT EXPLORE SUBSCRIBE FAQ CONTACT

ALVORADA PALACE, BRASILIA, BRAZIL

PLANALTO PALACE, BRASILIA, BRAZIL

CONGRESS BUILDINGS, BRASILIA, BRAZIL

CATHEDRAL , BRASILIA, BRAZIL

The Cathedral in Brasilia. when I started the Cathedral in Brasilia, I wanted to do

COMMUNIST PARTY HQ, PARIS

COMMUNIST PARTY HQ, PARIS. SCULPTURE

When Houari Boumediene asked me to design a mosque in Algiers, I tried to do

mosque in the ocean, near the beach.

UNIVERSITY OF CONSTANTINE, ALGIERS

UNIVERSITY OF CONSTANTINE, AUDITORIUM,

The Auditorium of the University of Constantine, we show how concrete can be

UNIVERSITY OF CONSTANTINE, TEACHING

LABOUR EXCHANGE, BOBIGNY, NEAR PARIS

LABOUR EXCHANGE, BOBIGNY, NEAR PARIS.

OFFICE TOWER, LA DÉFENSE, PARIS

TRADE CENTRE, MIAMI, FLORIDA

LEISURE CENTRE, ABU DHABI

LEISURE CENTRE, ABU DHABI

Comments in French On m'a demand�de parler quelque chose en francais. C'est

Comments in Portuguese TRANSLATION INTO ENGLISH OF NIEMEYER'S

Ricardo Bofill & Peter Kisho Kurokawa Charles Moore

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