Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Brazil Brasília Superquadra 205/206
AO Edited

Superquadra 205/206

The most unusual block in Brasília.

Brasília, Brazil

Added By
Lucas Lyra
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Plants hanging from Babylonian-looking windows   lucasslyra / Atlas Obscura User
Though the original idea was to have no stores facing the street, the plan developped for modern standards.   lucasslyra / Atlas Obscura User
View from the ramps   lucasslyra / Atlas Obscura User
The back view of the commercial quadra   lucasslyra / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Though it may not have the beaches and buzzing nightlife of Rio de Janeiro, Brasília remains unrivaled in the urban planning category. Brasília is a planned city, built in the early 1960s as a utopian project for the capital of the future. The city was divided into 96 superquadras, or super blocks, envisioned as small self-contained and self-sufficient neighborhoods with uniform buildings. In a city known for its modernist architecture and sectorized living, it is both curious and unsurprising when a place in Brasília gets famous for being different.

The North Wing is located on the left side of the Plano Piloto, and its commercial superquadras are called CLN, where the N stands for North. Commercial avenues around the world usually face the streets, with windows to showcase goods for passersby either driving or walking. But in the case of CLN 205/206, the storefronts face the back. In the place of mere functionality, the commercial buildings of CLN 205/206 offer an architectural experience.

The quadra was designed by Doramélia da Motta for Terracap. She had the idea for a different superquadra while she was still an architecture student at University of Brasília.  Superquadra 205/206 is a peculiar building. The architecture resembles a UFO intervention, much like the rest of the city, but the strange buildings in this quadra look like that for a reason. The walkways allow integration with the gardened rooftops and secluded inner patios that resemble Morrocan riads.

CLN 205/206 has been nicknamed "Northern Babylon" by locals because of its foreign-looking buildings, where thriving vegetation peeks from the arched Neo-classical windows. Besides, the quadra’s staple labyrinthine stairs seem to have jumped out of an Escher print. Tucked away in a nook of this unusual city, CLN 205/206 is a curious gem. 

Related Tags

Cities Urban Planning Architectural Oddities
Atlas Obscura Adventures

Wild Brazil: Rivers, Dunes & the Amazon

Explore Amazon villages, fish for piranha, and cool off in lagoon-covered sand dunes.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

lucasslyra

Published

May 27, 2022

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://jornaldebrasilia.com.br/brasilia/entrequadra-205206-norte-e-a-unica-de-brasilia-a-seguir-a-proposta-original/
Superquadra 205/206
CLN 205
Brasília, 70843-500
Brazil
-15.770535, -47.879634
Get Directions

Nearby Places

The Big Worm

Brasília, Brazil

miles away

Cathedral of Brasília

Brasília, Brazil

miles away

Árvore dos Desejos (Wish Tree)

Brasília, Brazil

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Brasília

Brasília

Brazil

Places 5

Nearby Places

The Big Worm

Brasília, Brazil

miles away

Cathedral of Brasília

Brasília, Brazil

miles away

Árvore dos Desejos (Wish Tree)

Brasília, Brazil

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Brasília

Brasília

Brazil

Places 5

Related Stories and Lists

Our Favorite Wonders and Blunders of Urban Planning

List

By Jonathan Carey

Related Places

  • What looks like an ordinary building is actually a wall.

    Paris, France

    145 Rue Lafayette

    What looks like a normal building is really a hollow facade hiding a subway vent.

  • The Cairo still dwarfs its neighbors.

    Washington, D.C.

    The Cairo

    This unacceptably tall building was the real reason for Washington, D.C.'s skyscraper ban.

  • Brussels, Belgium

    Largest Paving Stone in Belgium

    This huge limestone slab is considered the largest paving stone in Belgium and a relic of the earliest modern paving in Brussels.

  • Front of the building from the street.

    Brooklyn, New York

    Urban Post-Disaster Housing Prototype

    An interim housing alternative to FEMA trailers that is designed for densely populated areas during recovery and rebuilding following a natural disaster.

  • Andrew Jackson Downing Urn

    Washington, D.C.

    Andrew Jackson Downing Urn

    This large garden vase urn has nothing to do with the seventh U.S. President—it was designed by one landscape designer to honor another landscape designer's contributions to the National Mall.

  • Birmingham Back to Backs

    Birmingham, England

    Birmingham Back to Backs

    A collection of historic buildings in central Birmingham blend seamlessly into the cityscape but have an interesting story to tell.

  • Sign for L13

    Mannheim, Germany

    Mannheim Quadratestadt

    In this German city center, the streets have no names.

  • Houston, Texas

    Downtown Houston Tunnel System

    The largest underground pedestrian tunnel system in the U.S. mostly caters to the people working in the offices above, but provides a great, air-conditioned way to traverse the city.

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

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.