Supremo Tribunal Federal building, Modernist courthouse in Praça dos Três Poderes, Brasília, Brazil
The Supremo Tribunal Federal is a courthouse on Praça dos Três Poderes in Brasília, designed by Oscar Niemeyer with structural calculations by Joaquim Cardozo. A flat white roof slab projects beyond a long facade of tall rectangular glass panes set between white mullions and dark vertical piers, above a low white base and paved plaza. A white column curves from the roofline to the ground at one end, while a straight white support meets the roof edge at the other.
Oscar Niemeyer designed the structure, which was completed in 1960 as part of Brasília's development as Brazil's new capital city. It became a key symbol of the nation's institutional modernization.
In front of the building stands A Justiça, a statue sculpted in 1961 by Alfredo Ceschiatti. The figure of Justice faces the Praça dos Três Poderes, the square the court shares with the Planalto Palace and the National Congress.
The building sits in the heart of the government district and is easily reached on foot, ideally in the morning when it is less crowded. Check access arrangements and visiting conditions before you go.
The building rests on slender lateral pillars and stands slightly clear of the ground, so it appears to float. This was possible because Joaquim Cardozo's structural calculations kept the bases thin, touching the ground at only a few points, as he also did for the Cathedral of Brasília.
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