Golden Lion for da Rocha

Is Paulo Mendes da Rocha the recipient of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement of the 15th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia “Reporting from the Front”.

The decision was made by the Board of Directors of La Biennale chaired by Paolo Baratta, upon recommendation of the Curator of the 15th International Architecture Exhibition Alejandro Aravena. Amongst other points, the motivations note that “the most striking attribute of his architecture is its Timelessness. Many decades after being built, each of his projects have resisted the test of time, both stylistically and physically. This astonishing consistency may be the consequence of his ideological integrity and his structural genius. He is a nonconformist challenger and simultaneously a passionate realist. His fields of interest are beyond architecture, in political, social, geographical, historical and technical realms. The role model he played for many generations of architects in Brazil, Latin America and everywhere is that of a person able to join shared and collective efforts as well as someone able to attract others to the cause of a better built environment.”

The acknowledgment will be awarded to Paulo Mendes da Rocha on Saturday May 28th 2016 at Ca’ Giustinian, the headquarters of La Biennale di Venezia, during the awards ceremony and inauguration of the 15th Exhibition, which will open to the public at 10:00 am on that same day.

The 15th International Architecture Exhibition

Top: Paulo Mendes da Rocha, Praça do Patriarca, San Paolo, Brasile