BRAZILIAN MUSEUM OF PHOTOGRAPHY
The city’s traditional blueprint was made up as a grid based on blocks, a thing that brings cohesiveness. However, the modernist city conception broke away from the block idea generating a loss of cohesion. The post-modernist city project is actually the attempt to retrieve the traditional city’s values. The project area mixes up the benefits found in traditional blocks and the ruptures found in modernist’s blocks. The design, with its daring architecture, aims for the innovation in a traditional area made up of various layers. With its sharp edges, and its self-intercepted volumes, the new building wants to stand out in a spot where a notable palace had been before. The Monroe Palace. Placed right on Rio de Janeiro’s downtown, next to Passeio Publico Park, the project aims to create a block where no block had existed before. A project to recover a place with a very troubled past of buildings and tearing ups, such as the construction and demolishing of Monroe Palace. This is a project to recover a place suffering from a neglect that has changed it into a non place.
THE MEMORY
Rio de Janeiro
In 1904, the United States of America celebrated the Louisiana State’s purchasing 100th anniversary. Because of this, in the Saint Louis World Fair, Brazil took place with a beautiful and imposing pavilion, showing that the country had got rid of the Portuguese colonial architecture. Because of its success, the Brazilian pavilion won the International Architectural Prize during the mentioned fair. The building’s metallic structural system allowed for its posterior reassembly in Brazil in 1906, for the freshly inaugurated “Central Avenue” (now called Rio Branco Avenue) close to the obelisk and next to the Passeio Público Park. From 1925 to 1960, the palace has had its most important period as the Federal Senate Headquarters. In 1964, the army overthrew the elected president and took charge thanks to a military coup. Then a nasty military dictatorship was established in Brazil which lasted for about 21 years. In 1975, the Monroe Palace most dramatic phase has begun. The processes for its demolition were set up by Ernesto Geisel, then president. He thus had given his approval ordering the Federal Properties Management Office to start the building’s tear down in 1976. At the time the Federal District had already been moved to Brasilia. Of course Geisel’s primary aim was clearly to destroy a prominent democratic symbol, which has been for years the Federal Senate seat. After the palace’s tearing down, Mahatma Gandhi Square came up. This square was actually a “non place” closed by wrought iron railing. An hostile spot without any attractiveness, in the vicinities of Floriano Peixoto Square (the so called Cinelândia or “Movieland”) a very important carioca’s rendez vous and a totally democratic spot.
STUDY OF URBAN COMPOSITION
3.00
SECTIONAL PERSPECTIVES
+21.00
RESTAURANTE ALBAMAR +18.00
STUDIOS DE AULA
+15.00
SALAS DE AULA
+12.00
EXPOSIÇÃO
+9.00
EXPOSIÇÃO
+6.00
EXPOSIÇÃO
5.30
0.00
-7.10
ESTACIONAMENTO
Section AA’
0
5
15
30
+21.00
RESTAURANTE ALBAMAR +18.00
STUDIOS DE AULA
+15.00
SALAS DE AULA +12.00
EXPOSIÇÃO +9.00
EXPOSIÇÃO +6.00
EXPOSIÇÃO
0.00
BOUTIQUE
CAFÉ
ACESSO RAMPA
PASSEIO PÚBLICO
PALCO
-7.10
ESTACIONAMENTO
P R O J E C T
Section BB’ 0
5
15
30
GROUND FLOOR
N
N
DO
SEIO
PAS
AV. RIO
BRANCO
RUA
0,00 +0,70
0,00
3.00
3.00
3.25
0
5
15
30
Ground floor
Ground floor
1st and 2nd floor
3rd and 4th floor
Rooftop 5th and 6th floor
PAST
PRESENT
SKYLINE STUDY
FUTURE
M O D E L
INSERTION IN
THE LANDSCAPE
A T R I U M Rather than resign in the face of losses, or hold only into the past, express your search for the permanence of relevant things, precisely in the construction of the present itself. Comment on text Aldo Rossi “An analog architecture�