Maria Deroche

Born in São Paulo on 21 July 1938, Deroche studied at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, University of São Paulo and graduated in 1963.^[2] She had studied alongside brutalist architects Paulo Mendes da Rocha and Vilanova Artigas.

Deroche moved to France in 1963 and worked for Bernard Zehrfuss and ANPAR [fr], where she was directed by Michel Andrault and Pierre Parat [fr].^[3] In 1971, she joined the Atelier d'urbanisme et d'architecture [fr], where she became a partner in 1977 alongside her husband, Jean [fr].^[4][5] The couple left in 1985 and co-founded the Atelier d'urbanisme et d'architecture Jean et Maria Deroche. In 1990, she signed the Appel des 250 calling for opposition to the rise of the National Front.^[6]

Maria Deroche died on 25 January 2023, at the age of 84.^[3]