Paulo Mendes da Rocha Receives Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale

The 15th Venice Architecture Biennale, titled 'Reporting from the Front' and curated by Alejandro Aravena, has awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement to Brazilian architect and urbanist Paulo Mendes da Rocha. The decision was made by the Biennale's Board of Directors, chaired by Paolo Baratta, upon Aravena's proposal. Mendes da Rocha, winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2006, was born in Vitória in 1928. The award ceremony will take place on Saturday, May 28, 2016, during the inauguration of the 15th International Architecture Exhibition. Mendes da Rocha is an Honorary Member of the International Council of Portuguese-Speaking Architects and received the Mies van der Rohe Foundation Prize for his design of the Pinacoteca de São Paulo. In 2000, he represented Brazil at the 7th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale. His multidisciplinary career spans residential and public buildings, museums, furniture (including the 'Paulistano' chair), theater sets, teaching, urban planning, and exhibition design. He designed the Brazilian Pavilion at Expo 70 in Osaka. The Biennale's citation praises his architecture for its durability, ideological integrity, and structural capability, describing him as a nonconformist provocateur and passionate realist whose interests extend beyond architecture into political, social, geographical, historical, and technical realms. The award aligns with the Biennale's 2016 theme.