A CONFORMAÇÃO DA PRAÇA MODERNISTA

Brazilian landscaping has striking characteristics, mainly due to the pioneering work of architect Roberto Burle Marx. Modernist architects were usually hired to design open spaces and this article questioned how the modernist square was designed by them. Based on a double case study set in the Brazilian hinterland, and considering contemporary architectural panorama and the process of circulation of ideas, the paper analyses Napoleao Moreira da Silva square (1957-1962), designed by Jose Augusto Bellucci, and Santos Dumont square (1970), designed by Icaro de Castro Mello, in two distinct periods of the country’s architectural history. Built upon original documents and historical photographic records, the formal analysis considers the conformation and composition of flower beds, sidewalks, vegetation and furniture. As a result, the paper indicates that architects adapted architectural design strategies and formal repertoire to the design of squares, and thus landscaping and architecture consolidate common forms and related ideas through the sharing of technical knowledge and aesthetic affinities. Keywords: architectural design, Brazilian architecture, circulation of ideas, design methodology, modernist architecture.