The Niemeyers still like Brasília after 50 years, but with reservations

Brasília - Brazilian architect Óscar Niemeyer still believes, 50 years after the inauguration of the new capital Brasília, that its basic concept is very good. However, he is less satisfied with the consequences of its subsequent significant growth. He conveyed this to AFP on the occasion of Wednesday's 50th anniversary of the ceremonial inauguration of Brasília, which has become a symbol of his architecture.
    Niemeyer built some of his most famous structures in Brasília, including the presidential palace, the buildings of Congress and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the cathedral. The overall city plan, whose layout resembles a bird with outstretched wings, was the work of urban planner Lúcio Costa.
    "I still say that Lúcio Costa's basic plan was very well conceived. But Brasília has changed a lot: for instance, the satellite towns have grown too large and are too close to the basic plan," Niemeyer stated in writing in response to one of AFP's questions.
    "I am extraordinarily saddened by the deep social contrasts of the new metropolis. Of course, I understand the problems arising from its growth, which unfortunately represent the capitalist regime with all its flaws and injustices,” added Niemeyer, who has identified as a communist throughout his life.
    Even at 102 years old, he has no intention of stopping work, and he still goes to his studio in Rio de Janeiro daily. In an interview, he mentioned that he has now designed a digital tower for Brasília and a building for the Latin American University in another Brazilian city, Foz de Iguaçú. Among his foreign projects, he highlighted the Music Harbor theater in the Argentine city of Rosario and "mainly" the Cultural Center for Avilés in Spain.
    "The work I would like to create the most right now is perhaps a football stadium that I designed, which has quite a surprising shape," wrote the architect, who is famous for the curves of his buildings. "I am not attracted to angles or straight, hard, inflexible lines. What attracts me is the sensual curve that we find on a woman's body,” he proclaimed at one time.