Born:
October 25, 1928 in Vitoria, BrazilChildhood:
Paulo Mendes da Rocha spent his childhood in Vitoria, the harbor capital of the state of Espírito Santo in Brazil and on the Island Paquetá, in the middle of Guanabara Bay in Rio de Janeiro, capital of Brazil. His mother was the daughter of Italian immigrants. His father was a engineer who became Chair of the Naval and Harbor Resources of the Polytechnic School of São Paulo University.Education:
- Mackenzie Architecture School, 1954
Important Buildings:
- 1958: The Paulistano Athletic Club, São Paulo, Brazil
- 1960: Paulo Mendes da Rocha Residence, São Paulo, Brazil
- 1964: Guaimbê Residential Building, São Paulo, Brazil
- 1987: The Forma Store, São Paulo, Brazil
- 1987: Chapel of Saint Peter, Campos de Jordão, SP, Brazil
- 1988: Brazilian Museum of Sculpture, São Paulo, Brazil
- 1992: Patriarch Plaza and Viaduct do Cha, São Paulo, Brazil
- 1993: State Museum of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Related People :
Quote:
In his statement to the Pritzker Prize Committee, Paulo Mendes da Rocha says that architecture is “…the transformation of nature, a total fusion of science, art and technology in a sublime statement of human dignity and intelligence through the settlements we build for ourselves…”
Family Life:
Mendes da Rocha married his first wife in 1954. They have two daughters, Renata and Joana, and three sons, Paulo, Guilherme, and Pedro. Guilherme and Pedro are both architects; son Paulo is a photographer.
From his second marriage Mendes da Rocha has another daughter, Nadezhda, who is a designer.
More About Paulo Mendes da Rocha:
During the 1950s, Paulo Mendes da Rocha joined an avant-garde movement in São Paulo, Brazil. His work, known as Paulist brutalist architecture, used simple shapes and materials. Importance was placed on people and society rather than ornamentation.
Over the next six decades, Paulo Mendes da Rocha became known for "socially responsible" designs that used minimum resources. He taught for many years at the University of São Paulo but was forced to leave his teaching post in 1969 when Brazil was under military dictatorship. Mendes da Rocha returned to teaching in 1980 and continued until his retirement in 1999. Mendes da Rocha has also lectured throughout South America and Europe and served as president of the Brazilian Institute for Architects.
Besides his architectural projects, Mendes da Rocha has designed furniture. He is best known for the Paulistano chair and chaise lounge which used industrial materials to create comfortable, functional seating.
Paulo Mendes da Rocha has won many awards in addition to the Pritzker. The Mies van der Rohe Prize for Latin American Architecture brought him international recognition in 2000.
