Paulista School: the concrete architecture that transformed São Paulo traduzido por: OPENROUTER

The Brazilian architecture of the 20th century is often remembered for the curves of Oscar Niemeyer and the international projection of Brasília. However, alongside this production, São Paulo developed its own language, marked by exposed concrete, the appreciation of structure, and a strong social dimension. It is in this context that the so-called Paulista School emerges, one of the most important currents of Brazilian modern architecture.

Mainly associated with the work of Vilanova Artigas and Paulo Mendes da Rocha, the movement gained strength from the 1950s and consolidated in the following decades, especially within the projects of the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University of São Paulo (FAU-USP). More than a set of formal characteristics, however, the Paulista School expressed a particular way of thinking about architecture, the city, and collective life.

What was the Paulista School?

The Paulista School was a branch of modern architecture developed mainly in São Paulo from the second half of the 20th century. The term is often associated with the so-called Paulista Brutalist School, although researchers emphasize that the concepts are not synonymous and that not all Paulista architecture in concrete can be classified in this category.

MUBE, Museu Brasileiro da Escultura e da Ecologia, assinado por Paulo Mendes da Rocha (Nelson Kon/Divulgação)

Its formation took place in a moment of intense economic, urban, and social transformations in Brazil. While the modern Carioca architecture had achieved great recognition with a more plastic approach integrated with the references of Le Corbusier, Paulista architects explored other possibilities for reinforced concrete, structure, and the organization of spaces.

In this process, architecture came to be even more recognized as an instrument of social transformation. The appreciation of collective spaces, coexistence, and public access appears in several projects associated with the movement.

What are the characteristics of the Paulista School?

One of the main hallmarks lies in the expressive use of reinforced concrete, often left exposed. Instead of hiding the structure, the projects transform it into an essential part of the architectural language.

(Metro Arquitetos/Divulgação)

Large spans, pillars, beams, and horizontal planes take center stage and help to organize both the aesthetics and the functioning of the buildings.

Another recurring characteristic is spatial continuity. Ramps, integrated levels, and circulation spaces help create a less compartmentalized architecture, in which different projects relate visually and physically.

Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, por Paulo Mendes da Rocha + Eduardo Colonelli + Weliton Ricoy Torres (Nelson Kon/Divulgação)

Zenithal lighting also appears in several projects, contributing to the creation of interiors marked by light and a sense of spaciousness.

The relationship between architecture and society is also fundamental. Schools, sports centers, cultural buildings, and public facilities were important fields of experimentation. In this sense, architecture was not conceived merely as an object, but as a space capable of stimulating collective encounters and experiences.

Vilanova Artigas: the leading name of the Paulista School

If there is a central figure for understanding the Paulista School, it is Vilanova Artigas. Architect and professor, Artigas played a decisive role in the training of a generation of professionals and in the construction of a distinctive architectural language in São Paulo.

Vilanova Artigas em aula na FAU USP. (Reprodução / Vilanova Artigas: o arquiteto e a luz / Olé Produções/Divulgação)

His work combines constructive rigor, monumentality, and concern for the collective dimension of architecture. Projects such as the FAU-USP exemplify this approach: the building organizes different activities under a large roof and establishes continuous circulation between spaces.

Estádio do Morumbi, por Vilanova Artigas (Itaú Cultural/Divulgação)

Artigas was also a professor and had a strong influence on architects who would later become important representatives of the movement. Among them is Paulo Mendes da Rocha, who worked as his assistant at the beginning of his career.

Paulo Mendes da Rocha and the consolidation of the movement

Another indispensable name is Paulo Mendes da Rocha, one of the main exponents of Paulista architecture. Trained in São Paulo, the architect gained recognition early in his career with the project for the Clube Atlético Paulistano Gymnasium, later completed in 1961.

(Divulgação)

The work synthesizes some of the principles associated with the Paulista School: exposed reinforced concrete, structure as protagonist, large spaces, and a direct relationship between technique and form.

Throughout his career, Mendes da Rocha expanded these ideas to different scales, designing everything from residences to cultural facilities and urban spaces. His work also reinforces the public dimension of architecture and the idea that buildings should contribute to collective life.

O Sesc 24 de Maio, obra icônica de Paulo Mendes da Rocha em São Paulo. (Nelson Kon/Divulgação)

Although Artigas and Mendes da Rocha are often pointed out as the main names, the production associated with the Paulista School was much broader. Architects such as Fábio Penteado, Joaquim Guedes, Carlos Millan, Pedro Paulo de Mello Saraiva, Rodrigo Lefèvre, and Décio Tozzi, among others, participated in this environment of experimentation.

Are the Paulista School and Brutalism the same thing?

Not exactly. The association between the terms is common, but the discussion is more complex. Brutalism is an international trend of modern architecture, while the so-called Paulista Brutalist School corresponds to a particular manifestation developed in São Paulo, with its own characteristics.

Capela de São Pedro Apóstolo, projeto assinado por Paulo Mendes da Rocha. (Divulgação/Divulgação)

This distinction helps to understand why it is not enough to identify a building by the use of exposed concrete to automatically classify it as part of the Paulista School.

What is the legacy of the Paulista School?

The influence of the Paulista School extends beyond the period in which the movement was consolidated. Its legacy lies both in the architectural language and in the way of understanding the social role of the profession.

Residência João Luiz Bettega. (Revista Haus/Divulgação)

The appreciation of structure, collective spaces, integration between projects, and constructive clarity remains present in the repertoire of many contemporary architects. More than reproducing forms of exposed concrete, the legacy of the Paulista School lies in the idea that architecture, technique, city, and society can be thought of in an integrated manner.

This text was developed with the assistance of CASACOR Publisher, an exclusive content agent developed by CASACOR's Technology team based on the knowledge base of casacor.com.br. The generated content was subsequently edited by Yeska Coelho.

traduzido por: OPENROUTER