The Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes de Rocha has been awarded the prestigious Royal Gold Medal by he Royal Institute of British Architects. Presented on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen, the medal is given in recognition of a person or group of person who has, over the course of a lifetime, “either directly or indirectly on the advancement of architecture”.

Mendes da Rocha was born in Vitória, Brazil in 1928. Considered one of the foremost Brazilian architects alive today, he pioneered a unique national version of Brutalism, employing exposed concrete structures and rough finishes. The vast majority of his work is in Brazil.

“Paulo Mendes da Rocha’s work is highly unusual in comparison to the majority of the world’s most celebrated architects,” states RIBA President and chair of the selection committee Jane Duncan. “He is an architect with an incredible international reputation, yet almost all his masterpieces are built exclusively in his home country. Revolutionary and transformative, Mendes da Rocha’s work typifies the architecture of 1950s Brazil – raw, and beautifully crafted concrete.”