Paulo Mendes da Rocha discusses the discovery of America and the concept of the modern world; architecture as transformation technique; the constitution and construction of the human habitat; the contemporary city in America; the future of architecture as a peculiar form of knowledge; the solution of current urban problems. Mendes da Rocha began his career in the 1950s and was part of what was then considered the avant-garde in São Paulo, known loosely as creators of the Paulist brutalist architecture. Since that time he has maintained his own practice, spent many years as a Professor at the University of São Paulo, and contributed to the professional community through his work as president of the Brazilian Institute for Architects.
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