Recording a Restoration: The Palácio Capanema and the Challenges of Architectural Documentation

Speaker:
Marta Silveira Peixoto

Marta Silveira Peixoto is an architect (UFRGS, 1985) and holds a PhD in History and Theory of Architecture (PROPAR/UFRGS, 2006). She is a Full Professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), Brazil, where she teaches Architectural Design and History of Architecture and conducts research on modern architecture and architectural heritage. She has been a Visiting Professor at several international institutions, including the Escola Técnica Superior d' Arquitectura de Barcelona (ETSAB), Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, and the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, where she also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in 2023. She is currently President of DOCOMOMO Brazil and Secretary of DOCOMOMO International's Specialist Committee on Interior Design (ISC/ID). She is also a member of ICOMOS Brazil, participating in its Twentieth-Century Heritage Committee. Since 2023, she has served as Deputy Coordinator for Architecture and Urbanism at CAPES, the Brazilian federal agency responsible for evaluating graduate programs nationwide. Her research focuses on modern architecture, architectural interiors, and the documentation, conservation, and preservation of modern architectural heritage.

The Palácio Gustavo Capanema in Rio de Janeiro is a landmark of international modern architecture, distinguished by its pioneering application of the brise-soleil on a monumental scale and its integration of architecture, art, and landscape. Designed in the 1930s, the building underwent a prolonged restoration process between 2011 and 2025, combining the conservation of its architectural heritage with adaptation to contemporary use.

Focusing on the building's interiors, this presentation examines the tensions between restoration and transformation, particularly those arising from new technical requirements, changing patterns of occupation, and interventions affecting the original spatial conception. It argues that many difficulties encountered throughout the process were aggravated by insufficient, fragmented, or inaccessible architectural documentation, highlighting the importance of continuous recording for informed preservation decisions.

The Capanema experience provides a starting point for discussing broader challenges in documenting modern architectural heritage in Brazil. The presentation introduces current DOCOMOMO Brazil initiatives, including the digital accessibility of its national seminar proceedings and the development of an open, collaborative inventory of modern buildings across the country. These initiatives seek to expand architectural knowledge beyond celebrated landmarks and establish documentation as an essential and ongoing practice of heritage preservation.

Moderator: Prof. ZHANG Peng
Venue: Room D1, 5th Floor, Building D, CAUP
Time: 19:00, 5 November 2026