Paulo Mendes da Rocha is attracting international recognition once again as he continues to rack up top-tier lifetime achievement awards this year. [...]
Awarded since 1848 and approved by the Queen of England, the Gold Medal is awarded to an individual or a group of people who have significantly influenced “the advancement of architecture either directly or indirectly”. da Rocha is the second Brazilian architect to win the accolade, joining Oscar Niemeyer who won it in 1998.
— bustler.net
Paulo Mendes da Rocha is most known for his work establishing what would become Brazilian Brutalism. From Bustler:
Spearheading the Brutalist movement in his native Sao Paulo, da Rocha is credited for transforming the city with his numerous cultural buildings, which are typically designed in exposed concrete and rough finishes. Born in 1928, da Rocha's architecture career kicked off at a young age when he won the competition to design the gymnasium in the Paulistano Athletics Club (pictured [below]) at age 29.
On the occasion of da Rocha's win, RIBA President and chair of the selection committee Jane Duncan said, "Mendes da Rocha’s work typifies the architecture of 1950s Brazil – raw, chunky and beautifully ‘brutal’ concrete.” Some of his most notable Brazilian projects being: Saint Peter Chapel (1987) [below], the Brazilian Sculpture Museum MuBE (1988), Patriach Plaza (1992-2002), the Pinacoteca do Estado gallery (1993) [second below] and the FIESP Cultural Center (1997).
da Rocha expressed his appreciation for the prize: “I would like to send my warmest wishes to all those who share my passion, in particular British architects, and share this moment with all the architects and engineers that have collaborated on my projects.”
Check out more of da Rocha's work in the gallery below.
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