Mendes da Rocha attended the Mackenzie Presbyterian University College of Architecture, graduating in 1954.

[1] Working almost exclusively in Brazil, Mendes da Rocha began designing buildings in 1957, many of them built in concrete, a method some[who?]

call "Brazilian Brutalism", arguably allowing buildings to be constructed cheaply and quickly.

He contributed many notable cultural buildings to São Paulo and is widely credited with having enhanced and revitalized the city.

[2] Mendes da Rocha was a professor at the Architecture College of University of São Paulo, known as FAU-USP, until 1998.