Which architect designed the original plan for Brasília?

Lúcio Costa designed the original urban plan for Brasília.

Costa won the 1957 national competition to design Brazil’s new federal capital. His plan arranged the city around two principal axes, often described as forming an airplane or a cross: a monumental axis for government buildings and a residential axis for housing and local life.

Oscar Niemeyer designed many of Brasília’s most recognizable buildings, including the National Congress, the Cathedral, and the Palácio da Alvorada. This division of responsibilities often causes people to credit Niemeyer with the entire city, but Costa was responsible for the master plan.

Brasília was inaugurated as Brazil’s capital on 21 April 1960, replacing Rio de Janeiro. The planned city was intended to encourage development in Brazil’s interior. Its modernist architecture and urban design led UNESCO to designate Brasília a World Heritage Site in 1987, only 27 years after its inauguration.