See a series of movies by Pedro Kok on Dezeen, including one about Niemeyer's Marquise do Parque do Ibirapuera pathway, or see more photography by Kok on his website.

See more projects by Oscar Niemeyer on Dezeen »

The post Key projects by Oscar Niemeyer in Brazil
photographed by Pedro Kok appeared first on Dezeen.

News: architect Norman Foster has paid tribute to Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, who passed away yesterday aged 104.

"He was an inspiration to me - and to a generation of architects," says the Foster + Partners chairman and founder. "As a student in the early 1960s, I looked to Niemeyer’s work for stimulation; poring over the drawings of each new project. Fifty years later his work still has the power to startle us."

Foster refers to the architect as a "hero" and describes his delight at having the chance to meet him last year. "It seems absurd to describe a 104 year old as youthful, but his energy and creativity were an inspiration. I was touched by his warmth and his great passion for life and for scientific discovery," he says.

Niemeyer is best known for his buildings in Brazil, including the Roman Catholic Cathedral that earned him the 1988 Pritzker Architecture Prize. "One cannot contemplate Brasilia’s crown-like cathedral without being thrilled both by its formal dynamism and its structural economy, which combine to engender a sense almost of weightlessness from within, as the enclosure appears to dissolve entirely into glass," adds Foster.

He concludes: "He leaves us with a source of delight and inspiration for many generations to come."

See all our stories about Oscar Niemeyer, including images of some of his most famous projects that come to life when seen through 3D glasses.

Photography is courtesy of Abitare.

Here's the full statement from Norman Foster:

I was deeply saddened to learn of the death of Oscar Niemeyer. He was an inspiration to me - and to a generation of architects. Few people get to meet their heroes and I am grateful to have had the chance to spend time with him in Rio last year.

For architects schooled in the mainstream Modern Movement, he stood accepted wisdom on its head. Inverting the familiar dictum that ‘form follows function’, Niemeyer demonstrated instead that, ‘When a form creates beauty it becomes functional and therefore fundamental in architecture’.

It is said that when the pioneering Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin visited Brasilia he likened the experience to landing on a different planet. Many people seeing Niemeyer’s city for the first time must have felt the same way. It was daring, sculptural, colourful and free - and like nothing else that had gone before. Few architects in recent history have been able to summon such a vibrant vocabulary and structure it into such a brilliantly communicative and seductive tectonic language.

One cannot contemplate Brasilia’s crown-like cathedral, for example, without being thrilled both by its formal dynamism and its structural economy, which combine to engender a sense almost of weightlessness from within, as the enclosure appears to dissolve entirely into glass. And what architect can resist trying to work out how the tapering, bone-like concrete columns of the Alvorada Palace are able to touch the ground so lightly. Brasilia is not simply designed, it is choreographed; each of its fluidly-composed pieces seems to stand, like a dancer, on its points frozen in a moment of absolute balance. But what I most enjoy in his work is that even the individual building is very much about the public promenade, the public dimension.

As a student in the early 1960s, I looked to Niemeyer’s work for stimulation; poring over the drawings of each new project. Fifty years later his work still has the power to startle us. His contemporary Art Museum at Niteroi is exemplary in this regard. Standing on its rocky promontory like some exotic plant form, it shatters convention by juxtaposing art with a panoramic view of Rio harbour. It is as if - in his mind - he had dashed the conventional gallery box on the rocks below, and challenged us to view art and nature as equals. I have walked the Museum’s ramps. They are almost like a dance in space, inviting you to see the building from many different viewpoints before you actually enter. I found it absolutely magic.

During our meeting last year, we spoke at length about his work – and he offered some valuable lessons for my own. It seems absurd to describe a 104 year old as youthful, but his energy and creativity were an inspiration. I was touched by his warmth and his great passion for life and for scientific discovery – he wanted to know about the cosmos and the world in which we live. In his words: “We are on board a fantastic ship!”

He told me that architecture is important, but that life is more important. And yet in the end his architecture is his ultimate legacy. Like the man himself, it is eternally youthful – he leaves us with a source of delight and inspiration for many generations to come.

The post Norman Foster pays tribute
to "hero" Oscar Niemeyer appeared first on Dezeen.

News: Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer has died in Rio de Janeiro aged 104.

Niemeyer, an inspiration to generations of young Brazilian architects, is best known for designing most of the civic and government building of Brasilia, including the Roman Catholic Cathedral that earned him the 1988 Pritzker Architecture Prize.

He began working as an architect in the 1930s and was influenced by the work of Le Corbusier, although he claimed to be more interested in free-flowing curves than straight lines and modelled a number of his buildings around the figure of a woman's body.

In his home town of Rio de Janeiro, Niemeyer's many projects include the Sambadrome carnival stadium, while others in Brazil encompass the Museum of Contemporary Art across the bay in Niterói and his early Church of Saint Francis of Assisi in Belo Horizonte.

Over the course of his nine-decade career he was also responsible for the design of many buildings outside of Brazil, such as the U.N. Secretariat in New York and the Communist Party headquarters in Paris.

Despite his age, Niemeyer never retired from his studio, completing the Centro Niemeyer museum in Spain early last year and more recently designing a collection of sneakers for shoe brand Converse.

The architect had been battling kidney and stomach problems and died of respiratory failure on Wednesday.

Brazil's largest newspaper first announced the news and have named Niemeyer "the concrete poet", while Rio de Janeiro's Mayor Eduardo Paes has declared three days of mourning.

See all our stories about Oscar Niemeyer, including images of some of his most famous projects that come to life when seen through 3D glasses.

The post Oscar Niemeyer
1907-2012 appeared first on Dezeen.

Above: Chuck Taylor All Star Chukka Boot

The 104-year-old modernist architect, whose iconic buildings include the spiky Cathedral of Brasilia, reworked five classic styles for Converse, which also reached its 104th birthday this year.

Above: Chuck Taylor All Star Hi

Each design is inspired by a famous poem by Niemeyer: "It is not the right angle that attracts me, nor the straight line, hard and inflexible, created by man. What attracts me is the free and sensual curve — the curve that I find in the mountains of my country, in the sinuous course of its rivers, in the body of the beloved woman."

Above: Chuck Taylor All Star Oxford

The poem, written in Niemeyer's handwriting, adorns the canvas upper of the Chuck Taylor All Star Hi sneaker, which also has a red tongue that references the entrance of his Ibirapuera Auditorium in São Paulo.

Above: Jack Purcell

The black edging of the Chuck Taylor All Star Chukka Boot is inspired by a monument against torture designed by Niemeyer, while the lining includes an architectural illustration referencing the Landless Worker's Movement in Brazil.

Above: Skid Grip Oxford

A red curve outlines the edge of the Chuck Taylor All Star Oxford, while the unusual rounded toe of the Jack Purcell sneaker also ties in with Niemeyer’s curved architecture.

The Skid Grip Oxford slip-on has a red curve on its upper and an extract from the poem wrapped around the right toe.

Earlier this year we featured a series of anaglyphic 3D photographs of Niemeyer's most iconic buildings, while in 2011 we reported on the Centro Niemeyer arts centre in the Spanish city of Avilés, which was open for just six months before closing down amid claims of financial irregularities.

See all our stories about shoes »
See all our stories about Oscar Niemeyer »

Here's more information from Converse:

Converse Inc. announces the launch of the Converse x Oscar Niemeyer collection. Created inspiring by Oscar Niemeyer’s artwork, world-renowned architect, visionary and creative ambassador, the limited edition collection features five Converse silhouettes, each interpreted through Niemeyer’s outspoken architectural vision.

Born out of a shared passion for creative expression, the new footwear collection launches in Brazil on October 23, 2012 as part of a collaborative effort between Converse and the Oscar Niemeyer Foundation. Inspired by Niemeyer’s motto "It is not the right angle that attracts me...", the exclusive range celebrates the Brazilian architect’s non-linear design ethos that is present in all of his works.

"Converse footwear includes some of the most iconic, original and modern designs in history," says Penny Ericson, Vice President, Converse Jack Purcell and Premium. "As one of the great artistic visionaries of our time, Oscar Niemeyer's work represents those same qualities and we’re excited to help bring that to life with this new collection."

Born in 1907, Niemeyer’s career spans over eight decades, having established himself as one of Modernism's greatest pioneers. Through his contemporary use of concrete and bold approach to design, Niemeyer introduced a new way to build 'curved' architecture, which has since become his signature, recognised throughout the world. Niemeyer’s bold design approach and outspoken voice revolutionized the way the world looks at architecture and design.

About the Collection

The Converse x Oscar Niemeyer collection features five new iterations of Converse silhouettes, each with a nod to Niemeyer’s legendary curve and his creative, rebellious point of view:

The collection includes a Chuck Taylor All Star Hi sneaker with an all-over canvas print featuring the architect’s famous handwritten poem about curves. Featured in a bold red, the tongue creates an unmistakable reference to the dramatic entrance of São Paulo’s Ibirapuera Auditorium.

The Chuck Taylor All Star Oxford model continues the use of the red curve, this time outlining the edge of the upper, creating a bold contrast to the sneaker’s white canvas. Natural leather accents on the toe bumper, tongue and midsole complete the look of this casual sneaker.

The collection also includes a Chuck Taylor All Star Chukka Boot rendered in a rich, natural suede, was inspired by the monument “Torture Never More”, designed by Niemeyer in 1986. The lining in leather features the architectural illustration referencing the social movement “Landless,” further reinforcing Niemeyer’s beliefs.

A Converse Skid Grip Oxford slip-on features the signature curve as a red outline of the upper and an additional reference to the poem of Curves on the right shoe’s toe. Red stitching and natural colored leather patches on the heel give the overall design a textured look and feel.

Rounding out the collection, a stylish Jack Purcell sneaker features a red and white lace option and the signature Jack “smile” as a playful representation of Niemeyer’s curve.

The Converse x Oscar Niemeyer collection will launch at exclusive retailers across Brazil on October 23. The sneaker range will retail for R$170 – R$270 (85 – 135 USD) and is available in unisex sizing 3.5 – 11.5.

The post The Oscar Niemeyer Collection
for Converse appeared first on Dezeen.

Photographer Vicente de Paulo has captured some of the most iconic buildings by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and has manipulated the results so that they come to life when seen through 3D glasses.

Commissioned by art and fashion magazine Visionaire and online art-seller Paddle8, Depaulo has documented churches, museums and houses completed by the architect between 1940 and 1990 in São Paolo, Brasilia, and Rio de Janeiro.

A set of ten images are manipulated into anaglyphs that appear three-dimensional when observed though glasses with red and blue lenses.

The same ten photographs are also reproduced as pairs of slides with subtly different proportions, which trick the eye when viewed through a stereoscope.

Visionaire has created a limited edition portfolio for the images and stereoscope to accompany the launch of their latest issue, while Paddle8 are showcasing the anaglyphic images on their website alongside an interview with the architect.

See more architecture by Oscar Niemeyer here, including the Centro Niemeyer museum and viewing platform.

Here's some more information from Visionaire and Paddle8:

Available On Paddle8. A Limited-Edition Portfolio Of Ten Slides Featuring 3d Photographs Of Brazilian Architect Oscar Niemeyer’s Iconic Masterpieces Will Be Released To Accompany The Latest Issue Of Visionaire.

Produced in an edition of 200, the Oscar Niemeyer portfolio features some of his most well-known churches, museums, civic and residential structures built from the 1940s to the 1990s in Sao Paolo, Brasilia, and Rio de Janeiro.

It will be available in September (pre-order begins on July 25) exclusively at Paddle8.com together with the Visionaire 62 RIO issue for $450 or separately for $125.

Visionaire is a limited edition multi-format art and fashion publication. For its 62nd edition, Visionaire RIO features a series of slides by international contemporary artists and a stereoscope for viewing the slides in 3D.

The slides and stereoscope are packaged in a lenticular case: one featuring art by Fernando & Humberto Campana, the other featuring art by Beatriz Milhazes. Retail price: $375.

The Oscar Niemeyer portfolio contains ten slides to be viewed in 3D with the Visionaire 62 RIO stereoscope.

Special packaging allows the portfolio to complement the Visionaire 62 RIO format.

In conjunction with the series of slides, Paddle8 will launch on July 25 a special web-based editorial project featuring an exclusive audio interview with Niemeyer; archival materials from his studio, including drawings, blue- prints and family photos; a video trailer produced for Paddle8 TV; and the ten photographs by Vicente de Paulo viewable as 2D images or as anaglyphs via keepsake glasses available at Paddle8.com.

The post Oscar Niemeyer in 3D
by Vicente de Paulo appeared first on Dezeen.