Destroying architecture education was the "greatest evil" performed by Brazil's military dictatorship, according to Brazilian architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha, who has just been awarded the Royal Gold Medal.
Mendes da Rocha, 88, told Dezeen that Brazil's military coup in 1964 and the resulting 20-year dictatorship not only had a significant impact on his early career, it caused lasting damage on the country's architecture.
He described the regime's restriction on education as it's "greatest evil" and said that Brazilian architecture is still struggling to undo its effects.
"The military coup was a very right-wing dictatorship and it was a very violent one as well," said Mendes da Rocha, during an exclusive interview. "I could say that it has destroyed education and universities in Brazil before they did anything. And up to today we're still suffering from the consequences of those actions, and we're working very hard to catch up and recover what we had," he continued.
"This would be the greatest evil performed by the military coup, more over than any individual issues."

Mendes da Rocha set up his São Paulo-based practice in 1955 and completed the now-iconic Athletic Club of São Paulo just two years later.
But, following the coup, he was banned from teaching and practicing in his own right, as were other left-leaning colleagues.
He said that many younger architects are unaware of the consequences of the regime...