The square as an operation of modern open space.

An analysis of Niemeyer's design for the UN headquarters complex (1947)

Abstract

It is well known that modern architecture rethought the traditional city in light of the ideal notion of the park-city, in which the urban void, converted into nature, would assume a leading role. However, despite the representations of utopian models emphasizing open space as a park, the plaza was also the object of conceptions by canonical figures of the avant-garde. This article examines the proposals of Oscar Niemeyer and Le Corbusier for the UN headquarters building (1947), demonstrating that, despite some similarity in compositional elements, they differ significantly in the architectural and symbolic configuration of the open space. While Le Corbusier conceived the open space under the buildings as a green park, in the manner of his ideal model of Ville Radieuse (1930), Niemeyer designed it as a monumental civic plaza, explicitly highlighting the symbolic character necessary for the institution. By analyzing the two conceptions, the work advances the morphological discussion of the modern square, challenging the supposed homogeneity of the modern void frequently put forward by critics, as well as highlighting a relevant contribution of the Brazilian architect to the subject.