Square of the Three Powers

Brief information

The Square of the Three Powers is arranged so that no government building appears to be the main one. In the open space stand the Planalto Palace, the Supreme Federal Court, and the National Congress: the executive, judicial, and legislative branches are shown not by labels, but by the mutual positioning of large buildings. Therefore, what matters is not only the architecture of each palace, but also the emptiness between them.

The square is located at the far eastern point of Brasilia's Pilot Plan. Lucio Costa conceived it as a symbolic space for the new capital, and the buildings were designed by Oscar Niemeyer. It is not a classic urban square with shade and trees: almost all of it is open, and the small footprint of the buildings against the overall space creates a sculptural effect.

What to notice right away

You can compare the three palaces as parts of a single scheme. At the Congress, the meaning is read through the contrast of the domes: the large concave one is connected with the Chamber of Deputies hall, while the small convex one conceals the Senate hall; in front of the building, on the square side, there is a reflecting pool. At the Planalto, the white-marble shell and deceptively simple volume stand out: from the square, four floors are visible, although the building has basement levels and administrative blocks.

At the Supreme Court, it is worth noticing the exterior columns: they continue the same architectural line as at the Planalto. Additional structures demonstrate another rule of the ensemble: new volumes were designed so as not to overload the open square. For this reason, the “Tea House” is half hidden below ground level, and the Lucio Costa Space is placed beneath the floor of the square. What is visible here matters just as much as what has deliberately been removed from view.