The Golden Lion at the 15th Venice Architecture Biennale was awarded to Mendes da Rocha

In two weeks, the gates of the fifteenth edition of the Venice Biennale will open, the design of which was determined this time by Chilean architect Alejandro Aravena. The holder of this year's Golden Lion for lifetime achievement has already been announced, which went to Paulo Mendes da Rocha, who has been active for over half a century in the Brazilian architectural scene. The jury, who awarded Rocha the prestigious Pritzker Prize nine years ago, referred to him as “a gentle brutalist”. Paolo Baratta, president of the Venice Biennale, described the work of this Brazilian legend as “timeless, yet never needing to conform”. This year's committee judging the Golden Lion was far more interested in “Rocha's engagement in addressing social issues in Latin America” than in impressive concrete buildings. Historian Francesco Dal Co, a professor at the Venice IUAV, describes Rocha as a man who “is not afraid of scriability and poverty, for only then can one know what is truly necessary”. Nevertheless, his buildings managed to maintain expressiveness and iconicity comparable to other legends of Brazilian architecture such as Lina Bo Bardi and Oscar Niemeyer. The ceremonial presentation of the award will take place at the Giustinian Palace at the opening of the Venice Biennale on Saturday, May 28, 2016.

Paulo Mendes da Rocha was born on October 25, 1928, in the Brazilian port city of Vitoria. He grew up in São Paulo starting in 1940, where he graduated in architecture from Mackenzie University in 1954. Through his designs, he established a privileged position. Although most of his buildings are located in Brazil, one of his most famous works is the Brazilian pavilion for Expo '70 in Osaka, Japan. As a professor of architecture at the University of São Paulo, he influenced whole generations of students with his social and humanistic views. In 1969, Mendes was forced to resign from his position due to the dictatorial regime and returned to the school only in 1980, where he continued teaching for a full nineteen years until his retirement.

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