Exhibition: Paulo Mendes da Rocha: Nature and Construction in America
For immediate release
MIT Architecture Keller Gallery
77 Mass Ave, 7-408, Cambridge, MA
Cambridge, MA, February 2026 – MIT Architecture presents Paulo Mendes da Rocha: Nature and Construction in America, an exhibition dedicated to the Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha, on view at MIT Architecture’s Keller Gallery through March 27.
Paulo Mendes da Rocha, the first Honorary Associate Member of Casa da Arquitectura, is the subject of an extended tribute exploring the architect as both thinker and builder — from the man who reflects on the world to the architect who constructs it. Drawing from the collection donated by Mendes da Rocha to Casa da Arquitectura in December 2019, the exhibition forms part of a broader cultural initiative aimed at fostering continued discourse on his work and legacy.
Curated by Angelo Bucci, Hai Yi Blue Chan, and Sarah Okayli Masaryk, the exhibition focuses on the Brazilian Pavilion for Expo ’70 Osaka, one of Mendes da Rocha’s most emblematic projects. Through preliminary drawings, archival manuscripts, translated texts, and film material, the exhibition presents the pavilion as both architectural proposal and cultural manifesto.
The Osaka Pavilion emerges as a constructed landscape — a continuous ground shaded like a civic canopy, conceived as a place of encounter, performance, and collective life. The translated writings included in the exhibition reveal Mendes da Rocha’s vision of architecture as a humanistic project, connecting technological progress, cultural exchange, and social responsibility.
Developed in recognition of the architect’s decision to entrust his archive to Casa da Arquitectura, the exhibition contributes to an international effort to activate the collection through research, translation, and public engagement. By situating archival materials within an academic context, the exhibition seeks to open new dialogue around Mendes da Rocha’s principles, aesthetics, and ethics, positioning the archive as a living instrument for future architectural inquiry.
Special Thanks
Casa da Arquitectura, Portugal
José Manuel Dias da Fonseca and Nuno Sampaio
São Paulo, Brasil
Joana Mendes da Rocha and José Paulo Gouvêa
The exhibition was developed with the support of the MIT Department of Architecture.
Gallery Hours:
Monday through Saturday, 9 AM to 6 PM
About the MIT Department of Architecture
The MIT Department of Architecture opened its doors in 1868 as the first Architecture department in the United States. MIT Architecture is currently home to around 250 graduate and undergraduate students. Numbered among the Department’s over 5,000 alumni are Sophia Hayden ’1890, Robert R. Taylor ‘1892, I.M. Pei ‘40, and Charles Correa ‘55.
About the Keller Gallery at MIT
The Keller Gallery was established in the fall of 2011 with a generous donation of materials and labor in kind from Shawn Keller, principal at C.W. Keller & Associates. The 200 square foot gallery presents faculty, student, and experimental work, including work from alumni and friends.
Visitor Information
The Keller Gallery at MIT
77 Massachusetts Avenue, Building 7, Room 408, Cambridge, MA 02139
Free and open to the public
Monday through Saturday, 9AM to 6PM
Media contacts:
Joél Carela
Communications Manager, MIT Department of Architecture
jcarela@mit.edu / 617-253-0692