Cidade das Artes
Portzamparc's concrete arts complex in Barra da Tijuca, home of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra.
Cidade das Artes stands on a raised concrete platform beside Avenida das Américas in Barra da Tijuca, the work of the French architect Christian de Portzamparc. Begun in 2002 as the Cidade da Música and finally opened in January 2013, the complex lifts its halls ten metres above the ground between two great horizontal slabs, with gardens, ramps and open terraces in between. The exposed concrete forms and views across the district make the building itself part of the visit.
The main auditorium seats about 1,780 and is the base of the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira, one of the country's oldest symphony orchestras. Alongside it the site contains a chamber-music hall, three theatres, a cinema, a media library and around a dozen rehearsal rooms, together covering roughly 90,000 square metres. The programme mixes symphonic concerts, popular music, dance, musical theatre and visual-art exhibitions in the foyer galleries.
Highlights
- Concrete halls raised ten metres between two horizontal slabs
- Main auditorium of about 1,780 seats
- Home of the Orquestra Sinfônica Brasileira
- Chamber hall, three theatres, cinema and public terraces
