Created in the central and western part of Brazil to be the new capital of the country, Brasília is a definitive example of modernist twentieth-century urbanism and was named a Cultural Heritage Property by UNESCO in 1987. It was built in just four years (1956–60), following a design by urbanist Lúcio Costa and architect Oscar Niemeyer. However, despite the worldwide recognition of the architectural value of the buildings, the extensive use of white marbles as cladding is scarcely mentioned in the literature. Surveys conducted in this work indicate that the majority of the marble was sourced primarily from the Italva region (Rio de Janeiro), and probably, in minor quantities, from Cachoeiro de Itapemirim region (Espírito Santo). Available technological data for rocks from those regions revealed their suitable engineering properties as natural stone. Currently, although most of the slabs still remain on the buildings, the preservation of this world cultural heritage is urgent, as pointed out by UNESCO. For this purpose, the potential designation under the name the Brasília white marbles as a Global Heritage Stone Resource would be very beneficial, encouraging the availability of these natural stones for conservation and restoration.
This paper presents the Facoidal gneiss, the most significant and characteristic natural and heritage stone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, also known as 'the most carioca of rocks. ' The metropolis that is a World Heritage Cultural Landscape was built on, over, around, and with local stones, mostly Neoproterozoic gneisses. Among them, Facoidal gneiss occurs both sides of the Guanabara Bay, shaping its natural monuments as the Corcovado and the Sugar Loaf. It is composed of K-feldspar megacrysts usually deformed, looking like eyes (augen), arranged in a quartzfeldspar and biotite rich matrix. Its colour varies from pink to greyish. This stone was substantially used as a building material in many heritage monuments and buildings, in frames of windows and doors in houses, in sidewalks and public infrastructures. The aggressive environment of Rio de Janeiro, a tropical coastal megalopolis, is reflected in decay patterns such as loss of matrix and spalling. There are no quarries in production as this rock outcrops stand inside nature conservation or urbanized areas. The current impossibility of extracting replacement material justifies calling attention to this stone for the better conservation of Rio de Janeiro's built heritage.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.