paulo mendes da rocha to receive 2017 royal gold medal

RIBA has announced that the 2017 royal gold medal has been awarded to brazilian architect paulo mendes da rocha. recognized for numerous notable cultural buildings – built in his particular brazilian brutalist style – his projects demonstrate the use of exposed concrete and rough finishes. paulo mendes da rocha is widely credited for transforming his home city of são paulo.

capela de s.pedro interior | image © cristiano mascaro
portrait above © designboom

the leading brazilian architect will receive the UK’s highest honor for architecture. he has previously been awarded with the mies van der rohe prize (2000), pritzker prize (2006), the venice biennale golden lion for lifetime achievement (2016), and the praemium imperiale international arts award (2016).

pinacoteca do estado de são paulo, 1993, são paulo, brazil
image © nelson kon

the architect comments: ‘after so many years of work, it is a great joy to receive this recognition from the royal institute of british architects for the contribution my lifetime of work and experiments have given to the progress of architecture and society. 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.’

museu brasileiro de escultura (MuBE), sao paulo
image © nelson kon

RIBA president and chair of the selection committee jane duncan comments: ‘paulo mendes da rocha’s work is highly unusual in comparison to the majority of the world’s most celebrated architects. 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, chunky and beautifully ‘brutal’ concrete.’

born in vitória, brazil in 1928, paulo mendes da rocha has received international acclaim for his significant contribution to architecture. in 1957 he completed his first celebrated building, the athletic club of são paulo, followed by a large number of further public buildings in the city including saint peter chapel (1987), the brazilian sculpture museum mube (1988), patriach plaza (1992-2002), the pinacoteca do estado gallery (1993) and the fiesp cultural center (1997).

Save

paulo mendes da rocha to receive RIBA royal gold medal

paulo mendes da rocha (18)

RIBA (28)

PRODUCT LIBRARY