Brandon Donnelly
Daily insights for city builders. Published since 2013 by Toronto-based real estate developer Brandon Donnelly.
Brandon Donnelly
Daily insights for city builders. Published since 2013 by Toronto-based real estate developer Brandon Donnelly.
Rio de Janeiro has some pretty spectacular entranceways. Here is one that I found today on Rua Duvivier in Copacabana:
It is a magical front door located exactly one block from the beach.
The other gem I stumbled upon today was Rua Carvalho de Mendonça, pictured here:
Toward the left (above) is a narrow bollard-separated lane for cars. The rest of the right of way is dedicated to pedestrians and bicycles.
When I was there today the sun was shining and the retail was in full swing.
But perhaps my favorite thing about this street is the residential terraces sitting on top of the single storey “retail podiums.”
They add life (and eyes) to the street.
Brazil has been on my travel bucket list for many years, if not decades. Whenever I tell someone that they often ask me why that is the case.
In addition to its breathtaking natural beauty, sunny beaches, beautiful people, and lively culture, Brazil is also one of the first countries outside of Europe to have adopted modern architecture.
The best example of this is, arguably, Gustavo Capanema Palace, which is also known in architectural circles as the Ministry of Health and Education Building. At the time of its construction, Rio de Janeiro was the capital of Brazil. Brasilia took its place in 1960.
Here are two photos of the building from this afternoon:
Here are two images of the unfinished Museum of Image & Sound in Rio de Janeiro by Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
Rio de Janeiro has some pretty spectacular entranceways. Here is one that I found today on Rua Duvivier in Copacabana:
It is a magical front door located exactly one block from the beach.
The other gem I stumbled upon today was Rua Carvalho de Mendonça, pictured here:
Toward the left (above) is a narrow bollard-separated lane for cars. The rest of the right of way is dedicated to pedestrians and bicycles.
When I was there today the sun was shining and the retail was in full swing.
But perhaps my favorite thing about this street is the residential terraces sitting on top of the single storey “retail podiums.”
They add life (and eyes) to the street.
Brazil has been on my travel bucket list for many years, if not decades. Whenever I tell someone that they often ask me why that is the case.
In addition to its breathtaking natural beauty, sunny beaches, beautiful people, and lively culture, Brazil is also one of the first countries outside of Europe to have adopted modern architecture.
The best example of this is, arguably, Gustavo Capanema Palace, which is also known in architectural circles as the Ministry of Health and Education Building. At the time of its construction, Rio de Janeiro was the capital of Brazil. Brasilia took its place in 1960.
Here are two photos of the building from this afternoon:
Here are two images of the unfinished Museum of Image & Sound in Rio de Janeiro by Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
Sadly, the building is currently under renovation and I wasn’t able to get as close as I would have liked.
All the same, Gustavo Capanema Palace is one of the first modernist buildings in Brazil and, apparently, the first modernist government building in all of the Americas.
Designed in the 1930s, there were a whole slew of architects involved in this project, including Lucio Costa (master planner for Brasilia), Affonso Eduardo Reidy, Ernani Vasconcellos, Carlos Leão, Jorge Machado Moreira, Roberto Burle Marx, and Oscar Niemeyer.
But most notable in the roster was Le Corbusier. And the building is everything you would expect from the Swiss-French architect. Pilotis. Brises-soleil. Glass facades. And mid-level programming.
However, it also incorporated local elements, such as azulejos (glazed tilework common to Portuguese and Spanish buildings). And in my view that makes it a more interesting varietal of modernist architecture.
So even though I wasn’t able to get inside today, I am still glad that I was able to finally see Gustavo Capanema Palace.
The building sits across from Copacabana’s famed beach and tiled boardwalk. The street you’re looking at is Avenida Atlântica.
The idea behind the architecture was to create a kind of “vertical boulevard” on the building’s beachside facade. Clever.
It is particularly impactful when you see it within the context of Copacabana’s delightfully formidable streetwall and curving promenade.
But it is unclear when the building will ultimately be finished. Construction started in 2010 and it first stalled in 2012. Too bad.
Sadly, the building is currently under renovation and I wasn’t able to get as close as I would have liked.
All the same, Gustavo Capanema Palace is one of the first modernist buildings in Brazil and, apparently, the first modernist government building in all of the Americas.
Designed in the 1930s, there were a whole slew of architects involved in this project, including Lucio Costa (master planner for Brasilia), Affonso Eduardo Reidy, Ernani Vasconcellos, Carlos Leão, Jorge Machado Moreira, Roberto Burle Marx, and Oscar Niemeyer.
But most notable in the roster was Le Corbusier. And the building is everything you would expect from the Swiss-French architect. Pilotis. Brises-soleil. Glass facades. And mid-level programming.
However, it also incorporated local elements, such as azulejos (glazed tilework common to Portuguese and Spanish buildings). And in my view that makes it a more interesting varietal of modernist architecture.
So even though I wasn’t able to get inside today, I am still glad that I was able to finally see Gustavo Capanema Palace.
The building sits across from Copacabana’s famed beach and tiled boardwalk. The street you’re looking at is Avenida Atlântica.
The idea behind the architecture was to create a kind of “vertical boulevard” on the building’s beachside facade. Clever.
It is particularly impactful when you see it within the context of Copacabana’s delightfully formidable streetwall and curving promenade.
But it is unclear when the building will ultimately be finished. Construction started in 2010 and it first stalled in 2012. Too bad.
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