This is one of the buildings which, with the
Palácio de Planalto and the Federal Supreme
Court, configure the Praça dos Três Poderes,
but unlike the other two it does not house a
unitary programme, being required to
accomodate two separate assemblies: the
House of Deputies and the Senate.
Its privileged situation, at the final point of the
perspective along the monumental axis, which
makes this one of the city's major landmarks,
demanded the creation of a building that
would communicate its force over
considerable distances. This is accomplished
by translating the duality of functions into a
duality of architectonic expression.
The parliament building marks out a long
horizontal line broken only by the block of
offices, and from a distance the complex
appears as a continuation of the square, on
which the cupolas of the House of Deputies
and the Senate seem to rest. The office
towers stand out as notable landmarks, and
assume the character of decisive elements in
the city's skyline.
Botey, Josep M., Oscar Niemeyer, Gustavo Gili, 1996 |