Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Liz Waid.

 

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　　And Bruce Gulland. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand no matter where in the world they live.

 

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　　A building stands against a bright blue sky. It has sixteen columns. These white poles begin in a large circle and curve inwards in the shape of a bell. The columns almost touch each other but then they continue up and out. In the space between the columns, walls of glass make a round shape. The glass is blue, white and green. From the outside, the building looks a bit like open hands that are touching at the wrist. Inside, there are statues of angels. This is the cathedral of Brasilia. This Christian church and many important buildings of Brasilia were all built at the same time. They were designed by one great architect.  Today’s Spotlight is on the beautiful and important buildings in Brasilia.

 

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　　Every country in the world has a capital city. The capital is where the leaders of the country live and work. Many capital cities are ports on the ocean. In the past, one such city was Rio de Janiero. It was the capital of Brazil. But the port of Rio de Janiero was extremely crowded. There was not enough space for all the people who lived there. And the business of the huge country of Brazil was concentrated in a very small area.

 

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　　In 1956 Brazil elected a new president - Juscelino Kubitschek. He wanted to move the capital city. This was not a new idea. People had talked about moving the capital city for many years. The name had even been chosen: Brasilia. President Kubitschek decided it was time to finally build Brasilia. But who would design the important buildings? President Kubitschek wanted Brasilia to be beautiful. He wanted it to be modern. So he chose a skilled and experienced Brazilian architect to build Brasilia. His name was Oscar Niemeyer.

 

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　　Niemeyer was born in Rio de Janiero in 1907. He was a well respected architect by the time he was 30 years old. Niemeyer was a great artist. His designs were very different than other buildings at the time. Most other buildings had straight lines up and down. Niemeyer liked to build using half circles and curves. Many of his designs had rounded parts. Niemeyer used these shapes because he saw them in nature. In a book about his life, he explains how he was inspired by the beauty of Brazil:

 

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　　“I did not use traditional architecture designed with straight lines and squares. I boldly entered the world of curves by using concrete. This purposeful protest came from the environment in which I lived. My design came from Brazil’s white coasts, its huge mountains, its old traditional churches, and its beautiful women.”

 

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　　Niemeyer’s designs for Brasilia were also inspired by the curves of nature. These natural shapes inspired the cathedral from the beginning of this program. To make these shapes Niemeyer used a material called concrete. Concrete is a grey building material. It is a mixture of ground sand and stone mixed with cement. When this mixture is wet it can be poured into a shape. When concrete dries, it is very hard. Using concrete gave Niemeyer a lot of freedom to design and build interesting buildings.

 

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　　Niemeyer was very excited to design the main buildings of Brasilia. He saw the new capital as a chance for a fresh beginning for Brazil. He described his ideas for Brasilia’s buildings:

 

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　　"When planning the government buildings for Brasilia I tried to push the use of concrete to its limits. I wanted to be as light and detailed as possible.  I wanted it to seem as if the buildings barely touched the ground."

 

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　　This seems like an impossible thing to do - to make heavy concrete seem like it is floating. But Niemeyer achieved it! Niemeyer designed a building called The Palace of the Dawn. It was a house for Brazil’s president. This building looks like it is floating above the ground. It has curved white points around it. They are very light and beautiful. A lake around the palace reflects these curved shapes.

 

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　　Niemeyer also designed the National Congress. This government building has many parts. The biggest part is two tall towers that rise straight up into the air. On one side of this is a white building. It is shaped like a bowl that a person would eat out of. On the other side is a building in the opposite shape. It is a dome, which is rounded on top like a bowl turned upside down. These shapes are not the usual design of government buildings. Niemeyer told the BBC:

 

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　　"If you go to see Brasilia, the important thing is this: you may or may not like the buildings, but you could never say you had seen something similar before. Those fine columns, the buildings like a bird’s feathers touching the ground, all that creates an effect of surprise.”

 

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　　Niemeyer believed that building Brasilia was an important project for the whole country. Building the new city would be a way to give people jobs. It did not take any special education to build with concrete. So, many different people could help build Brasilia. Niemeyer designed and built Brasilia in only four years. Brasilia became the official capital of Brazil in 1960.

 

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　　Niemeyer also hoped that his buildings would bring people joy. Niemeyer believed that all people should enjoy the buildings of Brasilia. He believed that architects should inspire and serve other people. He told the Biography Channel website:

 

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　　"It is important that the designer think of more than design. The architect's role is to fight for a better world. One where he can produce an architecture that serves everyone not just a group of important people."

 

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　　Today, Niemeyer’s buildings do just this. Brasilia is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The United Nations believes that these buildings are important cultural structures. People from all over the world come to Brasilia to see Niemeyer’s buildings. Their beautiful design continues to inspire people – and will continue to do so for many years.

 

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　　The writer of this program was Rena Dam. The producer was Nick Mangeolles. The voices you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘Beautiful Buildings of Brasilia.’

 

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　　You can also leave your comments on our website and  find us on Facebook - just search for spotlightradio. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.