The Conjunto Governador Kubitschek, universally called Edifício JK, is one of Niemeyer's lesser-known residential masterpieces — a pair of enormous serpentine blocks, 23 and 35 storeys high, set on a single base in the Santo Agostinho neighbourhood. Completed in stages from the late 1950s, it contains over a thousand apartments and a full set of commercial and community spaces.
The exterior — long horizontal bands of windows, curving balconies, a striking deep red colour added in restoration — is best appreciated from the open space across the street. Some of the lower-floor commercial spaces are accessible; the residential floors are private. Worth ten minutes from outside if you are walking through the neighbourhood.