SIEMENS

Many Brazilians are convinced that their country is experiencing a magical moment. The economy is posting stable growth, oil has been found off the coast of Rio de Janeiro, and now the Olympic Games are coming to the city...

Niemeyer: I agree completely. In theory, Brazil offers everything that people need in order to be happy. In addition, the country’s political system has been stable for quite some time now, thanks to the fact that we have a highly competent president. The soccer World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016 will be very important and wonderful events for the country and for Rio de Janeiro in particular. Brazil will be host to the whole world, and we will demonstrate to everyone what we can do. Brazil’s moment in world history has finally arrived.

For Rio’s urban development this also presents opportunities and risks. Do the residents of Rio, the "Cariocas," have the resources to realize a new vision of the city?

Niemeyer: Sure they do. Rio is prepared to adapt to the new situation. And for a city that is already as beautiful as our city is, these efforts are well worth it. The big challenge here, however, is to structure investments so that everyone can benefit - and that also means poor people. We will find intelligent ways to expand the infrastructure in a manner that improves life for as many people as possible. And we will do it too. Don’t forget the sense of enthusiasm that is currently powering our country.

A major problem for Brazilian cities is uncontrolled growth. Is good quality of life still possible in metropolitan areas with 20 million residents?

Niemeyer: Approximately 12 million people currently live in greater Rio. The unabated growth of the big cities is an enormous problem, also in Rio - just in terms of the impact on the environment alone. And then there are logistics issues. How do you ensure an adequate water supply for all these people, for example? An isolated solution isn’t the answer because, after all, the phenomenon isn’t an isolated problem; it grows out of a variety of causes, above all social ones. This is why there is no one single great plan that provides a vision for the solution to the problems faced by Brazil’s cities.

Brasília, the capital, was supposed to be precisely such a great plan.

Niemeyer: Brasília was something else entirely. The city was designed as a vision symbolizing progress for the whole country. We found an empty location on which we could realize it. But even there we have been confronted with reality. The city we built back then was designed for a population of about 500,000; today 2.5 million people live there. That doesn’t mean Brasília is a broken dream. But dreams must give way to reality sooner or later. The problems of Brazilian cities can be solved only through the day-to-day efforts of urban planners and politicians working to improve things step by step. I hope that the end result will be cities that are more humane, with simpler structures.

How can Rio be given a more humane urban design?

Niemeyer: The answer is simple: Provide relief for the people living in misery in the slums, the favelas. Make living conditions possible that allow human dignity, through investments that really help the people. The approaches we are seeing today at the national and local levels aren’t bad. If you asked me to name the three things I would like to see the government change, my answer would be: re- duce poverty, reduce poverty, reduce poverty. The fact that it takes kids who live on the outskirts of the city hours to get to a public school means that they just don’t attend school. That’s one of the worst things as far as I’m concerned. The infrastructure must serve the people’s needs and be nearby. The people have to have access to such things as movie theaters and schools. Without social change, however, we won’t be able to move in this direction.

What role does innovation and modern technology play in your work?

Niemeyer: I take a pragmatic view. Technological progress is important and valuable if it serves people’s needs. When I think back to the work done for Brasília, I have to say that for us - meaning architects - life was more difficult than it is today. Fifty years ago, if we wanted to build a dome with a diameter of 40 meters, it was possible but required an enormous effort. Not very long ago we built such a dome in Spain. There were no problems, as if making something like that were an everyday task. That’s mainly due to innovation and the advance of technology.

An important new development for many architects is the growing importance of energy-efficient buildings. Does that also apply to you?

Niemeyer: Sure, that’s the future. Architecture is part of society and therefore must bear responsibility, also for its impact, for example, on the environment. In my professional life as an architect, however, that was a less important factor. I claimed to build things in a responsible manner, in that I built for a majority of the people, not for a privileged minority. And I hope people see this reflected in the buildings. But in the meantime, awareness of the need to conserve energy has also become part of an architect’s responsibility.

What are you working on right now?

Niemeyer: I am keeping myself very busy. But we’ve talked enough about architecture for now. You know, life is much more important than architecture.