Poles apart; Modernism in Brazil and in New Zealand.

This paper offers an appreciation of modern New Zealand architecture by comparing it to Brazilian Modern architecture. One may ask what such a comparison brings to the plate and on top of that one may wonder still why the choice of these two countries? The answer to these two pertinent questions are derived from geographic and cultural circumstance and theoretical logic. For this researcher It may be said that it all began some fifteen years ago with a life changing move from Brazil to New Zealand, on this journey there was a sizable number of collected data that was brought along concerning the middle class Brazilian modern house from the 1950s and 1960s. Such data was the result of the first two years of doctoral course research done at the University of Sao Paulo (USP), which had to be interrupted by the migration to New Zealand and the beginning of a new Phd course now at the University of Auckland. Originally, the intention was to develop a comparative analysis of domestic modernism practiced in peripheral countries after WW2, presenting side by side examples of the two main European colonization forces: Latin Vs Anglo, catholic Vs protestant colonies. The focus point of the broader research was to collect data to determine how modernism was implemented in NZ and if it was used as a vehicle for the production of an architecture with national uniqueness similar to what was done in most countries in Latin America such as in Brazil.

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ISBN
978-1-944214-31-9