South America – A rapid Immersion in Global Design

In May 2019, Australian building designers and architects travelled through Argentina and Brazil on a high‑impact CPD study tour, diving deep into some of the world’s most influential architectural landscapes. Across 15 days, participants experienced everything from colonial foundations to visionary modernism—gaining insights impossible to replicate in the classroom.

Architectural Highlights

Buenos Aires: Eclectic Urban Fabric

Attendees explored the city’s layered history—from colonial cloisters and Belle Époque galleries to Art Deco icons, Café Tortoni, Palacio Barolo and the Colón Theatre. Modernist influences came alive through Calatrava’s Puente de la Mujer, Clorindo Testa’s Banco de Londres and striking cultural venues like MALBA.

Iguassu Falls: Design in Nature

Walkways and viewing platforms demonstrated sensitive design in environmentally protected landscapes—showing how architecture can frame and enhance natural experiences.

São Paulo: Masters of Modernism

Participants visited Brazilian modernism’s most formative works, including Niemeyer’s Parque Ibirapuera, Lina Bo Bardi’s Casa de Vidro and SESC Pompeia and the iconic Copan Building. These sites showcased the intersection of social purpose, sculptural form and city‑shaping design.

Brasília: The Modernist Utopia

Multiple days in the capital delivered a masterclass in civic symbolism and urban planning through direct engagement with Oscar Niemeyer’s signature buildings—National Congress, Metropolitan Cathedral, Itamaraty Palace, and more—alongside landscapes by Roberto Burle Marx.

Rio de Janeiro: Landscape and Legacy

From Aterro do Flamengo and Modern Art Museum to the National Library and colonial cores, participants explored Rio’s fusion of landscape urbanism, neoclassical influences and contemporary cultural spaces. A visit to Sitio Burle Marx offered rare access to the landscape architect’s living laboratory.

CPD Learning Outcomes

The tour enabled Australian practitioners to:

• Expand global design literacy through exposure to contrasting architectural traditions and urban models.
• Study modernism in context, directly observing the work of Niemeyer, Bo Bardi, Testa, Costa and Burle Marx.
• Apply comparative thinking—translating lessons from dense megacities, civic monumentalism and landscape integration into Australian practice.
• Strengthen critical design analysis via guided commentary and onsite reflection.
• Build professional networks through shared learning across diverse environments.
  

Conclusion

Fast‑paced, expertly planned and architecturally rich, the South America Study Tour gave Australian building designers a rare opportunity to broaden their world view, sharpen their design thinking and return home with fresh perspectives that continue to influence their practice.