Tutor: Murray Fraser

 

Architectural history and theory essay on the development of Barra da Tijuca, a suburb of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. The area has come in to international focus as the location of the Olympic Park for the 2016 Olympic Games.

 

Planned by Lucio Costa, who also masterminded Brasilia 10 years earlier, Barra is planned around car transportation and open space, with American-style shopping malls giving it a feel more akin to Miami than Rio. In stark contrast to Rio de Janeiro, Barra is a manifestation of a 'globurb', or global suburb, with internationally-minded events, residents and lifestyles.