Discover how the icon of the most famous beach in the world came to be.

Though the calçadão, or sidewalk, has now become synonymous with the Carioca way of life and Copacabana beach, its origins stem from across the Atlantic Ocean. The original wave design was created by Portuguese engineer Pinheiro Furtado in the early 19th century for the Praça do Rossio in Lisbon. Furtado drew inspiration from the intersection of where the city's Rio Tejo, the Tagus River, and the Atlantic ocean meet. This garnered the pattern’s nickname to “Mar Lago,” literally translating to “Ocean River.” 

Largo do Rossio in Lisbon, Portugal

A few decades later, a conscious effort was being made to modernize Rio de Janeiro, the then-capital of the country. With this, the same stones utilised in the construction of the Portuguese praça – white limestone and black basalt – were shipped over to Brazil. These were laid by 26 paving experts, also sent over from Lisbon to ensure fidelity to its source material. As such, the original iteration of the pattern was narrower, the waves thinner and closer together, and their curves ran perpendicular to the shoreline, framing the Avenida Âtlantica.

Praia do Leme by Augusto Malta, 1921

By 1970, Rio de Janeiro had expanded into a modern metropolis, and looked more like the Cidade Maravilhosa that is recognized today. The expansion of the city meant that much of it needed to be overhauled to accommodate the influx of new residents. Thus, the Avenida Atlância was completely reconstructed, causing the calçadão to be remodelled also. This new version was spearheaded by landscape architect Robero Burle Marx, and assistants Haruyoshi Ono e José Tabacow. This mammoth project encapsulated not only Copacabana beach, but the entire extension of the shoreline down to the Leme, totalling 4.12km of tiling. The calçadão of Ipanema and the central reservation of the Avenida were also part of the remodelling through palm trees and bespoke tiling.

In his redesign of the Copacabana stretch, Burle Marx opted to align the tiled curves with the shoreline, mirroring the crashing waves in parallel. The width and shape of the lines themselves was also modified, with the 1970 version having wider curves, with larger spaces between the black and white sections – in keeping with Burle Marx’s illustratively abstract style. This is the version that still stands today, iconically representing the city of Rio de Janeiro to the world. After its reconstruction, in 1991, the calçadão was recognized by Rio’s State Institute of Cultural Heritage, deeming it “the greatest example of an applied artwork in the world.” 

Clockwise from left: Aerial shot of Copacabana beach; FRESCOBOL CARIOCA's Rio Swim shorts and Copacabana print close-up; James Bond drives down Avenida Atlântica in 007 Moonraker (1979); Donald Duck and José Carioca in Saludos Amigos (1942); Opening scene in Rio (2011); Close-up of the calçadão.

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