Cathedral of Brasilia / Oscar Niemeyer
Consept.
Niemeyer saw a compact and clean concept, a volume occuring with the same purity from any perspective and for times of deep religious expression. In the air born outside the structure of the earth is a cry of faith and hope, then, the gallery is located in semi-darkness to prepare the faithful to show religious order in the contrast of light and the external effects; the faithful depart from the world and are projected between the cathedral and the infinite spaces.
Description.
The Cathedral of Brasilia is 40
meters high and holds up to four thousand people.
The base of the
building is circular and about 60 m in diameter. Its glass ceiling, begins at
the floor and is supported by 16 curved columns. Its circular structure
prevents the existence of a facade. Its nave is over 70
meters in diameter, so long, despite the circular from the Cathedral. Its
interior is decorated with stained glass. Near the entrance there are four
statues known as the Four Evangelists. Finally, in their designs, techniques and materials Niemeyer and Costa combined
modern curved lines and the free use of Brazilian baroque reminiscences. Niemayer’s communist and
political trends had hoped that any future regime would be established in this
Brazil. Niemayer’s cathedral was designed so that when Brazil was succumbing to
communism, the importance of his temple would not be diminished.
Structure.
The hyperbolic structure is built of concrete, and it seems that with its glass roof it is raised to the open sky. The structure of the Cathedral of Brasilia was completed on 31 May 1970 and was based on revolved hyperbolas, where the sections are asymmetric. The structure itself is the result of 16 identical columns. These columns, which have a hyperbolic section and weigh 90 tonnes, are pointing both hands to the sky.
