One of Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer’s final designs, a 12-meter-diameter glass and concrete sphere perched on the corner of a factory building, is set to be completed in Leipzig, Germany, reports Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (Central German Broadcasting, MDR).
In 2011, Niemeyer was commissioned by railway crane manufacturer Kirow Leipzig to design an addition to the company’s central plant in Leipzig that would house a cafeteria, lounge and bar. Shortly before his passing in December 2012, at the age of 104, Niemeyer completed a sketch of the structure, showing sphere consisting of a lattice pattern underneath a tennis-ball-like reinforced concrete patch.
Within the sphere, interiors clad in tiled surfaces and blue carpet will evoke the spirit of Bossa Nova and Copacabana, while comfortable armchairs and projected images of Niemeyer drawings will help to create a relaxing atmosphere for factory workers.
Made of concrete and glass, a new #building designed by Oscar Niemeyer will open in Leipzig next year https://t.co/MUtKGe1LCX #Art #News pic.twitter.com/Wk5fCTumJ1
— Fine Art Biblio (@fineartbiblio) March 20, 2017
The head of Kirow Leipzig, Ludwig Koehne (who was also responsible for the design of the factory), told MDR that the commission resulted following a conversation with the factory’s in-house chef, who requested a new cook space.
“The content of the letter was that we have a very good cook who seeks a new challenge beyond canteen food, and we should urgently have an expansion [for a restaurant], that possibly goes on the roof,” said Koehne.
@bibcoline https://t.co/Fmm9ecxFdQ
— Coline Blanpain (@bibcoline) March 17, 2017
The project is reportedly to be inaugurated in March 2018.
See more images of the project here.
See Oscar Niemeyer's Unfinished Architecture for Lebanon's International Fair Grounds
On the grounds of the Tripoli International Fair (Rashid Karameh International Exhibition Center) in Lebanon, one finds one of the five largest exhibition centers in the world [1]. The 15 structures, designed by legendary Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer in 1963, remain unfinished due to the project's abandonment during the country's civil war in 1975.
Spotlight: Oscar Niemeyer
Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho, or simply Oscar Niemeyer, was one of the greatest architects in Brazil's history, and one of the greats of the global modernist movement. After his death in 2012, Niemeyer left the world more than five hundred works scattered throughout the Americas, Africa and Europe.
