Wonderful City, World Heritage Site as Urban Cultural Landscape and most famous destination in Brazil. In 2020 Rio de Janeiro stands one more title: the first World Capital of Architecture. The nomination was granted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Union of Architects (UIA) to the host city of the 27th World Congress of Architects, to be held in July 2020 on the theme "All worlds. One World. Architecture 21".
Unique in the art of harmonizing nature and architecture, Rio brings along in its waterfront, its parks and its avenues, examples of five centuries of styles, represented by more than ten thousand conserved properties and about two thousand listed. Its population of almost seven million inhabitants use to daily live with urban landmarks that will now be shared with the whole world.
After hosting important international events in recent years, Rio takes the leading role in architecture. This title is more than a recognition of the city's architectural, historical and cultural past. It is also an opportunity to think about the future. A chance to celebrate Rio yesterday and today and also to define what you want for cities around the world. The 2020 program will include tourist, cultural, educational and scientific events throughout the city, involving not only citizens but also visitors. The City of Rio de Janeiro and the Institute of Architects of Brazil (IAB), which work in partnership with the Rio 2020 World Capital Architecture Organizing Committee, are responsible for the calendar and host civil society initiatives through this form.
Would you like to propose an event for the Rio2020? fill out the form and submit your proposal
Despite being born in Rio de Janeiro, Dora Alcântara spent much of her childhood and adolescence in other states. Her father's military career allowed only vacation trips to the city of Rio de Janeiro, where the girl spent the days with her family in a traditional house in Tijuca neighborhood, and in Copacabana beach. At age 17, Dora finally returned to her homeland and experienced a feeling that has accompanied her to this day, seven decades later. “It was like, from that moment on, I was permanently on vacation. Rio de Janeiro, with its unique nature and welcoming atmosphere, gives us this joy of living,” says the architect.
The relationship she has since established with the city has been of deep admiration. Not just for the iconic buildings that stroll through centuries of different architectural styles, but especially the opulent nature. Together, the sea, lagoons, hills, forest, rivers and parks coexist in harmony with the work created by exponents of architecture that left their mark in Rio de Janeiro. “Nothing is as striking in Rio as its natural beauty. Although exemplary such as São Bento Monastery, Outeiro da Gloria, Imperial Palace, Municipal Theater and Gustavo Capanema Palace, what most enchants, what is most impressive, is this unique nature that does not allow us to face with pessimism the difficult time we are going through ”, defines Dora who chose to live in the Lagoon neighborhood, surrounded by water and green mountains.
1 - Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) - “One of the wonders of the world. The position with open arms, in addition to evoking the redemptive cross, suggests the welcoming hug, trademark of the carioca. ”
2 - Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar) - “It brings us closer to the starting point of the city, Cara de Cão Hill. It also offers a comprehensive view of Rio de Janeiro, especially Guanabara Bay. This meeting of the sea with the mountains is one of the special features of Rio. ”
3 - Tijuca Forest - “As if all the beauty of Rio wasn't enough, a forest like Tijuca's in an urban center makes the city exceptional. In addition, its story of a replanting effort is beautiful and serves as an example. ”
4 - Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon and surroundings - “This place of the city holds in itself the idea of this Rio de Janeiro that was once full of lagoons, many of them grounded. A thrilling landscape, surrounded by hills and green. ”
5 – Gloria Hill Church (Outeiro da Glória) - “Besides being beautiful, this church occupies a place with a privileged view and a lot of history. A religious architecture, made by a military man. It also features beautiful tile compositions, an art that characterizes our Luso-Brazilian culture. ”
1 - Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) - "One of the wonders of the world. The position with open arms, in addition to evoking the redemptive cross, suggests the welcoming hug, trademark of the carioca. " - Photo: Pedro Kirilos | Riotur
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2 - Sugar Loaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar) - "It brings us closer to the starting point of the city, Cara de Cão Hill. It also offers a comprehensive view of Rio de Janeiro, especially Guanabara Bay. This meeting of the sea with the mountains is one of the special features of Rio. " - Photo: Alexandre Macieira | Riotur
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3 - Tijuca Forest - "As if all the beauty of Rio wasn't enough, a forest like Tijuca's in an urban center makes the city exceptional. In addition, its story of a replanting effort is beautiful and serves as an example. " - Photo: Alexandre Macieira | Riotur
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4 - Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon and surroundings - "This place of the city holds in itself the idea of this Rio de Janeiro that was once full of lagoons, many of them grounded. A thrilling landscape, surrounded by hills and green. " - Photo: Alexandre Macieira | Riotur
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5 – Gloria Hill Church (Outeiro da Glória) - "Besides being beautiful, this church occupies a place with a privileged view and a lot of history. A religious architecture, made by a military man. It also features beautiful tile compositions, an art that characterizes our Luso-Brazilian culture. " - Photo: Michel Filho | Rio City Hall
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Kátia Bogéa - President of the Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage (Iphan)
President of the Institute of National Historical and Artistic Heritage (Iphan), Kátia Bogéa walks through the streets of the city as if walking through the memory of humanity. The Rio de Janeiro of the historian born in Sergipe and based in Maranhão goes through the unique meaning for Brazil and for the world of numerous addresses in Rio de Janeiro. “In Rio de Janeiro, the past and the present live in harmony. There are places in the city that always need to be visited, such as Valongo Wharf (Cais do Valongo), so you don't forget what happened to the country and humanity at different times in history,” she says.
For 39 years working at the institute, Kátia emphasizes the variety of architectural styles present in the city, the urbanism that perfectly interferes with a unique nature, celebrates the fact that Rio de Janeiro is the first World Capital of Architecture and lists likely future achievements such as the designation as a World Heritage Site that may be granted by UNESCO to the Burle Marx Site in 2020. Kátia's Rio de Janeiro still goes through the joy of its citizens, the atmosphere that congregates and influences. When she was 18 years old, still an Iphan intern, she visited the city for the first time, motivated by the desire to know historical and architectural icons. Since then, he has lost count of how many times he has been to Rio de Janeiro lands. During the Carnival, she usually rents an apartment in Leblon. “It's a beautiful city that smiles and hugs everyone. The whole world wants to know and experience Rio, it could not be known in any other way than Wonderful City”, she praises.
1 – Valongo Wharf (Cais do Valongo) - “It was the arrival port of one million slaves, a landmark of what was slavery in the world. This space, recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, represents a difficult time in history that cannot be forgotten. ”
2 – Imperial Palace (Paço Imperial) - “This is a place where the whole history of Brazil is contained, essential to understand Brazilian politics since Dom João VI. A beautiful building that is fully restored and is the Iphan Cultural Center. ”
3 - Gustavo Capanema Palace - “World architectural landmark, this building counted on its construction with the performance of some of the most renowned architects such as Lucio Costa, Carlos Leon, Oscar Niemeyer, Affonso Eduardo Reidy, Ernani Vasconcellos and Jorge Machado Moreira and consultancy of French-Swiss Le Corbusier. As if that weren't enough, it also features Portinari tiles and Burle Marx gardens. It’s a masterpiece and one of Iphan’s national headquarters.”
4 - National Center for Folklore and Popular Culture (Centro Nacional do Folclore e Cultura Popular) - “Located next to the Catete Palace, the Center is dedicated to studying, researching, documenting, disseminating and fostering expressions of the knowledge and practices of the Brazilian people. Its collection brings together 17 thousand objects, 130 thousand bibliographic documents and 70 thousand audiovisual documents. The whole history of Brazilian folk culture is preserved there.”
5 - Burle Marx Site - “One of the most important collection of tropical and semitropical plants in the world is located on 400 thousand square meters. There are 3,500 species, some with unique samples, which began to be gathered when Burle Marx was only six years old. A must-see place that, by 2020, may become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.”
1 – Valongo Wharf (Cais do Valongo) - "It was the arrival port of one million slaves, a landmark of what was slavery in the world. This space, recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, represents a difficult time in history that cannot be forgotten. " - Photo: Alexandre Macieira | Riotur
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2 – Imperial Palace (Paço Imperial) - "This is a place where the whole history of Brazil is contained, essential to understand Brazilian politics since Dom João VI. A beautiful building that is fully restored and is the Iphan Cultural Center. " - Photo: Alexandre Macieira | Riotur
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3 - Gustavo Capanema Palace - "World architectural landmark, this building counted on its construction with the performance of some of the most renowned architects such as Lucio Costa, Carlos Leon, Oscar Niemeyer, Affonso Eduardo Reidy, Ernani Vasconcellos and Jorge Machado Moreira and consultancy of French-Swiss Le Corbusier. As if that weren't enough, it also features Portinari tiles and Burle Marx gardens. It's a masterpiece and one of Iphan's national headquarters." - Photo: Michel Filho | Rio City Hall
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4 - National Center for Folklore and Popular Culture (Centro Nacional do Folclore e Cultura Popular) - "Located next to the Catete Palace, the Center is dedicated to studying, researching, documenting, disseminating and fostering expressions of the knowledge and practices of the Brazilian people. Its collection brings together 17 thousand objects, 130 thousand bibliographic documents and 70 thousand audiovisual documents. The whole history of Brazilian folk culture is preserved there." - Photo: Alexandre Macieira | Riotur
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5 - Burle Marx Site - "One of the most important collection of tropical and semitropical plants in the world is located on 400 thousand square meters. There are 3,500 species, some with unique samples, which began to be gathered when Burle Marx was only six years old. A must-see place that, by 2020, may become a UNESCO World Heritage Site." - Photo: Alexandre Macieira | Riotur
