Places near me Random place
All Brazil Brasília The Big Worm

The Big Worm

This kilometer-long university building is an unexpected architectural delight.

Brasília, Brazil

Added By
Agnes Callard
The Big Worm.   agcallard / Atlas Obscura User
The Big Worm.   agcallard / Atlas Obscura User
The Big Worm.   agcallard / Atlas Obscura User
The Big Worm.   agcallard / Atlas Obscura User
  jlord7 / Atlas Obscura User
  jlord7 / Atlas Obscura User
  jlord7 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

This building is like the post-apolcalyptic hellscape background of a zombie shooter video game, but in a good way.

Of all the many wonderful Oscar Niemeyer-designed buildings in Brasília, the main building of the University Building of Brasília is perhaps the least appreciated, weirdest, and best. It integrates indoor and outdoor space in a surprising way, allowing it to become "ingrown" into its surroundings rather than merely seeming plopped down somewhere.

The graffiti students have added to it, plus the weeds and wildlife (so many cats!) dominating the middle section, make the structure feel both living and loved. Never has concrete exuded such warmth and meditative splendor. Wandering down the long long length of it is the perfect backdrop for contemplation and conversation.

Related Tags

Architecture Architectural Oddities Universities

Community Contributors

Added By

agcallard

Edited By

jlord7

Published

December 16, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos

Nearby Places

Explore the Destination Guide

Related Places

  • Rosalie Sharp Centre for Design in the iconic Toronto cityscape.

    Toronto, Ontario

    Rosalie Sharp Centre for Design

    This buzzy, award-winning building hovers 85 feet above the ground on a dozen colorful stilts.

    Sponsored by Destination Toronto
  • Universidad 1601.

    Mexico City, Mexico

    Universidad 1601

    Legend says the building's unusual features were added at the request of a paranoid president.

  • St Catherine’s College.

    Oxford, England

    St Catherine's College

    This slice of 1960s Danish modernism does not conform to the Oxford college stereotypes.

  • Class of 1959 Chapel.

    Boston, Massachusetts

    Class of 1959 Chapel

    The strikingly modern structure stands out among the brick buildings speckling the Harvard Business School's campus.

  • Harvard Lampoon building.

    Cambridge, Massachusetts

    Harvard Lampoon Building

    The headquarters of one of the world’s longest-running humor magazines bears a noticeable resemblance to a head wearing a Prussian helmet.

  • Princeton Chapel Bulldog

    Princeton, New Jersey

    Princeton Chapel Bulldog

    The mysterious canine hides atop a drain pipe on the back of the building, some say as a sneaky shoutout to Yale.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member

Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member