ABSTRACT
The constant reference to the CIAM – from 1937 on – goes together with Costa’s involvement in the Serviço do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (SPHAN). The fourth chapter addresses specific case-studies of his commitment in the cause of national heritage in order to exemplify Costa’s influence on the ideological and operational line of the institution. On the one side, the first mission in Rio Grande do Sul and the participation to the project of the Grande Hotel in Ouro Preto are illustrative of Costa’s approach toward historical pre-existence. On the other, his scientific opinions and theoretical essays define a concept of “tradition” that could serve as a guideline in the selection of what was to be safeguarded and as a narrative in support of the “new architecture.” Costa proposed a double synchronic interpretation of history, associating the principles of the modern movement to the intrinsic rationality of local vernacular architecture, and identifying Niemeyer and Aleijadinho as interpreters of the local Baroque genius. Meanwhile, he also developed a mature expressive language in his design production – especially in a series of private residences – in which a regionalist approach came to mark his definitive break from the ghost of historicism.
