Last Thursday, July 25,
CASACOR São Paulo had the privilege of receiving a visit from Paulo Mendes da Rocha, an architect recognized worldwide for his extensive curriculum focused on social architecture. At the invitation of IAB-SP and the
12th São Paulo International Architecture Biennial , the conversation was memorable – a true architecture lesson – and also included the presence of Gustavo Cedroni and Martin Corullon, from the partner firm Metro Arquitetos.
Guests were inspired for about an hour and a half by the humanist principles that have guided the architect since the mid-1950s, at the beginning of his career. One of the most respected and awarded Brazilian architects, Paulo Mendes received the Pritzker Prize in 2006; the Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale for Lifetime Achievement in 2016; the Imperial Japan Prize in 2016 and the RIBA Gold Medal in 2017. Full class
The opportunity to hear the architect had a tremendous impact: the
CASACOR Arena reached maximum capacity, with everyone's ears attentive to the content that Paulo Mendes taught with a teaching style that is innate to him – a former professor at USP, he joined the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism in 1960, where he taught until 1999. Paulo Mendes dominated the audience as one of his lectures – his ability to speak in quotation marks was broken by a comic, almost careless energy inserted into his speech. The subtle humor brought his knowledge closer and strengthened his relationship with the master. The class reflected on the architect's previous projects, which were so decisive in the conception of the city of São Paulo, such as the Brazilian Museum of Sculpture and Ecology (MuBE), Sesc 24 de Maio and Praça do Patriarca. The guests were left with a little awareness that the architect's social role is to unite people, as Paulo Mendes tried to convey. "Architecture is us", however, was possibly the quote that stuck most in the memory of those who were there. "The purpose of architecture is to support the unpredictability of life and not to determine how things are", he said, incisively, followed by an example about the house as a reflection of the resident. "In a pianist's house, there is a piano. When another resident takes the piano away, the house changes completely. If you change who lives there, the house is different".
The talk with the master is part of the series of talks at the
12th International Architecture Biennial . This year, the event will take place at two locations: at Sesc 24 de Maio and at Centro Cultural São Paulo, starting on September 10, and will feature exhibition design by Martin Corullon and Gustavo Cedroni, from Metro Arquitetos.
CASACOR SAO PAULO 2019: WHEN? Tuesday to Saturday: 12pm to 9pm Sundays and holidays: from 12pm to 8pm
WHERE? Jockey Club of Sao Paulo – Lineu de Paula Machado Avenue, No. 1075 – Garden City
TICKETS: From Tuesday to Thursday: Full ticket: R$64.00/ Half ticket: R$32.00 From Friday to Sunday and holidays: Full price ticket: R$80.00/ Half price ticket: R$40.00 Valet: R$ 40.00 Classification: Free Ticket sales for São Paulo are available on the website:
casacor.byinti.com
