Planalto Palace

Brief information

The Planalto Palace was built not as a historic residence, but as the working center of the new capital. It opened in 1960 among the first buildings in Brasília, next to the palaces of the National Congress and the Supreme Court. For this reason, the building is important not only as the president’s workplace: it is connected with the moment when the country’s capital effectively moved from Rio de Janeiro to Brasília.

Inside are the workplaces of the president and vice president of Brazil. The name itself, in Brazilian Portuguese, has become a metonym for executive power, meaning a word used to refer not only to the building, but also to the authority operating inside it. This helps one see the palace as an administrative mechanism rather than as a ceremonial shell.

What to notice right away

It makes sense to compare the layout of the complex and the main building. The complex was conceived by Oscar Niemeyer as a group of five buildings, while the main building is organized vertically: the entrance, reception area, and press office are below; conference rooms and the Oval Room are located one floor above; the offices of the president and his aides are higher still; and the administration occupies the fourth floor. This arrangement shows how official work is distributed across levels, from reception and press relations to management.

A separate physical detail is the pool around the building: its area is about 1,635 m², its depth is 110 cm, and it is populated with Japanese carp. The exterior appearance is also connected with the 2009–2010 renovation: at that time the marble and granite facade was restored, and the windows and doors were replaced. These details are a reminder that the palace looks like a symbol of power, but requires ordinary maintenance, renewal of materials, and engineering upkeep.