"You either love or hate Brasília," is the comment heard most when someone asks if Brasília is worth a visit. The modernist capital, planned in the 1950s, is characterised by a stark urban design of residential superblocks with schools, shops and parks, together with innovative, modern architecture of public buildings along the Eixo Monumental. The natural gardens of Burle Marx contrast with Brasília's constructions of concrete, yet simultaneously complement them; his gardens don't form a background – or foreground – but form a natural extension of a building.
Who was Roberto Burle Marx
Roberto Burle Marx [1909-1994] is one of Brazil's most famous landscape architects. His modern landscape architecture, which he started in the 1930s, introduced a new concept of landscape design which not only gained fame in Brazil but also abroad, in countries such as Venezuela, the United States and Malaysia.
When studying painting in Germany, the home country of his father, he discovered the rich Brazilian flora when he visited the Dahlem Botanical Gardens in Berlin. In the 1950s, his estate Barra de Guaratiba in Rio de Janeiro was transformed into a botanical garden where he experimented with tropical and coastal species that he wanted to use in his landscape designs. He worked with botanical scientists and explored many Brazilian forests and coasts in search of undiscovered species – about thirty plants bear his name.
Burle Marx' landscape architecture in Brasília
From the 1960s onwards Burle Marx designed many gardens in Brasília: parks, residential gardens as well as contemporary landscapes for public buildings. His work can be found at, among other places:
- Superquadra 308 Sul [1963]
- Palácio do Itamaraty [1965]
- Embassy of the United States [1967]
- Praça dos Cristais Setor Militar Urbano [1970]
- Palácio da Justiça [1970]
- Embassy of Germany [ 1968]
- Embassies of Belgium and Iran [1971]
- Tribunal de Contas da União [1972]
- Palácio do Jaburu [1975]
- Teatro Nacional [1976]
- Parque da Cidade [1976]
All have their own charm, their own uniqueness that complete the buildings they surround. Let me elaborate on three of them.
Landscape design of Praça dos Cristais Setor Militar Urbano
The buildings of O Quartel General do Exército – the Ministry of Defence sector – were designed by the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. In front of the buildings lies Burle Marx's landscape garden Praça dos Cristais, originally called Civic Plaza. In the lovely pond, with a walkway cutting through it, geometric concrete sculptures in different sizes rise up. The sculptures are reminiscent of the crystalline mineral formations that typify the region of Minas Gerais, and thus the park became more commonly known as the Park of Crystals.
Landscape designs of Palácio do Itamaraty and Palácio da Justiça
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs [1965] and the Ministry of Justice [1970] lie opposite each other, right behind the "cockpit" of Brasília's Praça de Três Poderes. These buildings, both designed by Oscar Niemeyer, together with Burle Marx's landscape designs form an architectural unity, even though they are separated by a wide boulevard.
They are by many considered Brasília's architectural showpieces. In the pond in front of the Palácio do Itamaraty is a remarkable sculpture by Bruno Giogi, called O Meteoro, the five marble blocks of which each represent a continent.
The first floor of the Foreign Affairs building is a large open space with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out towards the Ministry of Justice. According to the guide in the Foreign Affairs building, "All international agreements are signed in this room, with Justice symbolically watching us to make sure we act righteously."
Both buildings seem to float in the ponds surrounding them, with large groups of identical plants growing on small islands. Inherent in Burle Marx's gardens is the rule never to mix colours or different plants. The buildings are strongly characterised by their concrete exteriors, the Palácio do Itamaraty with arched columns and the Palácio da Justiça with fountains that extend as waterfalls from the façade cascading into Burle Marx' garden.
Visit Burle Marx's landscape architecture in Brasília
O Quartel General do Exército and Palácio do Itamaraty can be visited free of charge. Guided tours are given during office hours, unless an official visit takes place and the building remains closed to outsiders. The Superquadra 308 Sul, the Palácio do Jaburu, the Teatro Nacional and the Parque da Cidade can be visited as well.
The Palácio da Justiça is permanently closed to visitors, but the landscape garden can be admired from the road. As to the embassies, it is best to contact the individual embassy to ask for permission to visit their garden.
Burle Marx's landscape architecture in Brasília shows only part of his work. Some of his famous landscape designs can be found elsewhere in Brazil as well as in other countries such as the US and Venezuela.
Karin-Marijke Vis - Karin-Marijke Vis is a bilingual writer (Dutch-English) who has been traveling in Asia and South America since 2003.
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