Paulo Mendes da Rocha Dies at 92

On Sunday, Brazilian architect and educator Paulo Mendes da Rocha died at the age of 92. A practitioner since the 1950s, Mendes da Rocha helped pioneer the “Brazilian brutalism” movement, filling his home country with graceful structures made from concrete and steel. In addition to teaching at the Architecture College of the University of São Paulo, Mendes da Rocha received a number of international honors for his work including the Pritzker Prize (2006), the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement from the 15th Venice Biennale (2016), and the Praemium Imperiale (2016), and the RIBA Royal Gold Medal (2017).

Born in Vitória, Brazil, in 1928, Mendes da Rocha studied architecture at the Mackenzie Presbyterian University School of Architecture and City Planning in São Paulo, earning his degree in 1954. He began working immediately, quickly receiving accolades for the Paulistano Athletic Club (1957). Mendes da Rocha concentrated his work in Brazil, honing his architectural style as a member of the Paulista School movement and completing projects including the MuBE (Museu Brasileiro da Escultura) in São Paulo (1988), the Saint Peter Chapel in Campos de Jordão, Brazil (1987). Some of Mendes da Rocha’s more recent works include the Patriarch Plaza in São Paulo (2002), Cais das Artes in Vitória (2011), and the National Coach Museum, in Lisbon, Portugal (2015).

A leader in Brazil’s architecture community, Mendes da Rocha also served as president for the Brazilian Institute for Architects and taught at the University of São Paulo. He won a number of architecture’s most prestigious awards including the Mies van der Rohe Prize (2000).

The architecture community has mourned its loss on social media.

We are sorry to hear of the death of Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha. He received the Royal Gold Medal in 2017 for his significant contribution to the advancement of architecture. pic.twitter.com/8F0NPJKOt9

— RIBA (@RIBA) May 24, 2021

A great architect who, like so many in Brazil, was overshadowed by the long life and enormous reputation of Oscar Niemeyer. Mendes da Rocha was always a world figure, but it took the world too long to figure that out. RIP. https://t.co/i4OaEUYHUL

— Paul Goldberger (@paulgoldberger) May 23, 2021

I greatly admired his work, the sketches and the forms. RIP Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Architect. https://t.co/j22vnsBmsB

— Mark Gardner (@gigajellyroll) May 23, 2021

Paulo Mendes da Rocha. 1928-2021. A giant, committed socialist and brilliantly inventive architect. https://t.co/1V2GbubuoY

— edwin heathcote (@edwinheathcote) May 23, 2021

i was truly privileged to spend some time with paolo mendes da rocha in his sao paolo studio a few years ago, and to tour some of his extraordinary work. tremendous loss. rip pic.twitter.com/3J6teBw3tq

— mark lamster (@marklamster) May 23, 2021