The Modern Architecture of Curitiba - Paulo Romeu da Costa

Paulo Romeu da Costa was born in Curitiba on January, 24th, 1924. Romeu was graduated in Civil Engineering at UFPR University in 1948. He supplemented his knowledge in architecture with literature and practice. He has contributed to spread the ideas of the Modern Movement in Curitiba. He also worked as a teacher at UFPR University at the Architecture and Civil Engineering courses. He had a predilection for Le Corbusier, whose architecture he thought best suited to Brazilian conditions of climate and technology. He worked in the Department of Transportation and Public Works of Paraná.


Public Library of Paraná (1951).
Perfectly placed in the urban landscape in Curitiba, the Parana Public Library can be considered the main work of Romeo da Costa. It expresses the transition and the synthesis of the Classic Rationalism with the concepts of the Modern Movement. For the project, Romeo Coast traveled to Rio de Janeiro to improve his knowledge with the assistance of competent librarians. The project adopts solutions in tune with the concepts of the Modern Movement, with emphasis on horizontal lines and a facade dominated by brises. There were created two lateral appendages to accommodate a children's library and an exhibition space. The execution time, eight months, was a record and it was opened on December 19th, 1954.


Banco Comercial do Paraná Building (1953).
After the project of the Banco Comercial do Parana Building, Romeu da Costa "got over" the Art-Deco and "assumed" the principles of the Modern Movement. The mandatory implementation of covered galleries at Rua XV with the intention to increase the area of the sidewalk, suggested the stilts solution proposed for this building of apparent pillars and modulated window frames executed in metal. The use of brises complements the absorption of "Le Corbusier" principles.


Synagogue Francisco Frischmann (1959).
The Jewish community invited Romeo Coast to project the Francisco Frischmann Synagogue. The terrain, despite its small size, is situated at a particular urban situation: between two streets, with a third face to a small square. The building uses the straight lines of the "miesiano” functionalism and there are brises installed on the eastern side facing the square.