This study aims to investigate the relationship between modernist theory and construction practices in Brazilian architecture during the 1960s, focusing on the concept of tectonics as a link between form and technique. Architectural projects are understood as the outcome of collaborative processes involving professionals from various fields, with drawings and technical records serving as key tools for anticipating and communicating proposed solutions. Modern architecture, while rejecting historical styles and prioritizing formal innovation, maintained an implicit reliance on established construction techniques. The research focuses on two representative buildings from the period: the Edifício Avenida Central (1961), by Henrique Mindlin in Rio de Janeiro, and the Conjunto Nacional (1956), by David Libeskind in São Paulo. The study explores four main aspects: the working conditions of the involved firms, the architectural responses to client demands, the architects’ theoretical and practical worldviews, and the informational repertoire passed down to posterity. Supported by authors such as Piñón, Montaner, Martinez, Amaral, and Nesbitt, the work argues that, despite the theoretical rupture proposed by modernism, tectonics remained essential for the materialization of architecture. Thus, modern form can only be fully realized through the integration of aesthetic innovation and technical rigor.
This study aims to investigate the relationship between modernist theory and construction practices in Brazilian architecture during the 1960s, focusing on the concept of tectonics as a link between form and technique. Architectural projects are understood as the outcome of collaborative processes involving professionals from various fields, with drawings and technical records serving as key tools for anticipating and communicating proposed solutions. Modern architecture, while rejecting historical styles and prioritizing formal innovation, maintained an implicit reliance on established construction techniques. The research focuses on two representative buildings from the period: the Edifício Avenida Central (1961), by Henrique Mindlin in Rio de Janeiro, and the Conjunto Nacional (1956), by David Libeskind in São Paulo. The study explores four main aspects: the working conditions of the involved firms, the architectural responses to client demands, the architects’ theoretical and practical worldviews, and the informational repertoire passed down to posterity. Supported by authors such as Piñón, Montaner, Martinez, Amaral, and Nesbitt, the work argues that, despite the theoretical rupture proposed by modernism, tectonics remained essential for the materialization of architecture. Thus, modern form can only be fully realized through the integration of aesthetic innovation and technical rigor.