Cesar Pelli
Cesar Pelli
César Pelli, founder of Pelli Clarke Pelli, is an Argentine American architect known for designing some of the world's tallest buildings and other major urban landmarks. In 1991, the American Institute of Architectslisted Pelli among the ten most influential living American architects. His many awards include the 1995 AIA Gold Medal which recognizes a body of work of lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture. Perhaps his most famous work are the Petronas Twin Towers, which were for...
NationalityArgentinian
ProfessionArchitect
Date of Birth12 October 1926
The Connecticut Center for Science and Exploration will be a building that will connect the excitement of science to the surrounding streets, river and highway. These forms are ambitious and dynamic. They appear to reach out beyond their physical limits.
The World Trade Center was for me not only out of scale vertically, but it was also out of scale in plan. It occupied several blocks that were all massed together.
One of America's strengths has always been its openness to the new: both new ideas and new people.
I see my buildings as pieces of cities, and in my designs I try to make them into responsible and contributing citizens.
My buildings are like my children, so I cannot have favorites.
When I started designing in school, I discovered that I had a knack for it. I fell completely in love with architecture, and I remain in love with it.
I always look forward to the next project. That is one of the wonderful things about architecture - you always can hope for another project to design.
Im particularly interested in the public role that all buildings play. I believe that we architects should try to go beyond our basic obligations to the public, and our opportunities to do so are many.
I am a strong believer that as one moves toward the future, the strongest and clearest way to do it is if you have a good sense of your past. You cannot have a very tall tree without deep roots.
Construction is a matter of optimism; its a matter of facing the future with confidence.
The desire to reach for the sky runs very deep in the human psyche.
When I finished high school, I was 16, and in Argentina you have to choose a career right after high school. There is no such thing as a liberal arts education.
There may be some changes in building codes, but I don't see any stylistic departure that you'll be able to attribute to Sept. 11.
I realize that having a style would be very beneficial for my practice from a marketing standpoint, but I can't do it. I believe my responsibilities as an architect are to design the most appropriate building for the place. Each place has a distinct culture and function, which for me requires an appropriate answer.