Departures of note

Maria Elisa Costa was a Brazilian architect and urbanist, the only daughter of Lúcio Costa, the urbanist who designed the Plano Piloto of Brasília. She was born around 1935 and died in Brasília on 25 August 2026 at the age of 91.

Trained in architecture, Maria Elisa spent much of her career in Brasília defending the preservation of the city's original architectural and urban ensemble. Her work became especially significant after her father's death in 1998, when she emerged as a leading voice in safeguarding Brasília's modernist heritage and its recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

She also contributed to the documentation of her father's legacy, organizing and publishing works on Lúcio Costa, including a book about him launched in Brasília. Her advocacy for the city's cultural identity earned her recognition as a symbol of Brasília, and her death prompted three days of official mourning declared by the governor of the Federal District.