In July 2000 the Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha was awarded the Mies van der Rohe Prize. Behind a name hardly known in our latitude lies one of the most important architects of our time. Paulo Mendes da Rocha began his career in 1957 with a highly acclaimed first work. Set before the backdrop of the Brazilian modern movement, he developed a body of work in an unmistakable personal language that stands out in its creative power above the more ephemeral currents of the day. Paulo Mendes da Rocha's buildings etch themselves into our memory, and he succeeds like only very few architects in making visible something of the fundamental essence of architecture. The book at hand presents the first comprehensive monograph on Mendes for a German-speaking audience. Besides a complete list of works, a selection of the most important buildings and projects with drawings, sketches and photographs is presented. Luigi Snozzi introduces the architect, while individual aspects of the work are investigated more closely by the author Annette Spiro