Aldo Rossi: a Poet and an Architect

Aldo Rossi ‘A poet who happens to be an architect’ (3 May 1931 -4 September 1997) Philosophy: “The primary sources of all architectural content are reflected in the use of primary forms, axial orientation and repetitive elements in the facades. ” PERSONAL LIFE AND EDUCATIONAL PROFILE: •Born in Milan the 3rd of May 1931. •He moved with his family to Lake Como at 1940 •He attended a school run by the Padri Somaschi and subsequently the Alessandro Volta archbishop’s school in Lecco •First career choice was film, his interests translated to the field of architecture. Enrolled at the Faculty of Architecture at the Milan Polytechnic University at 1949 after the end of the war •Continued his studies in Prague and then in the Soviet Union, and took part in numerous cultural meetings at 1955. •Graduated architecture at 1959 •Joined the Milanese magazine Casabella-Continuita, serving as its editor from 1961 to 1964 PROFESSIONAL PROFILE: His growing fame brought him positions as a professor in Zurich, Spain, and the United States. Namely Milan's Politecnico, Zurich's ETH, New York's Cooper Union, and Venice's Instituto Universitario di Architettura) •1955-1964-Worked with Ernesto Rogers on the leading Italian architecture magazine Casabella-Continuita •1956 - He began work for Ignazio Gardella (1905-1999) and then for Marco Zanuso (1916) •1963 - He became assistant to Ludovico Quaroni (1911-1987) at the School of Urban Studies in Arezzo and to Carlo Aymonino (1926) at the University Institute of Architecture in Venice(Iuav) •1965-A faculty member in the School of Architecture in Milan •1966-Published the book The Architecture of the City 1971 - He began working with Gianni Braghieri •1975-Faculty member at University in Venice •1978 - He began working with IAUS •1980 - He began his work as an industrial designer which would lead him to work with major companies like Alessi, Molteni and Unifor •1981- Published A Scientific Autobiography STYLE: •Neo-Rationalism – also known as La Tendenza. It is a movement originating in Italy in the 1960s which rejected the functionalist and technological preoccupations of mainstream Modernism, advocating a rationalist approach to design based on an awareness of formal properties. Architecture of the City oFocuses on the importance of the city and it’s architecture, and is in part a protest against the pure functionalism of the Modern Movement. oFor Rossi the city is a repository of the history of man, and as such, he laments the lack of understanding by current architectural practices. oHe believes that relying on function alone to define architecture misses the true meaning of a city. o He argues that a city must be studied and valued as a manmade object constructed over time. That urban architecture is intrinsically connected with the overall city. Scientific Autobiography oThis revealing memoir by Aldo Rossi (1937–1997) oone of the most visible and controversial figures ever on the international architecture scene, intermingles discussions of Rossi's architectural projects—including the major literary and artistic influences on his work—with his personal history. oDrawn from notebooks Rossi kept beginning in 1971, these ruminations and reflections range from his obsession with theater to his concept of architecture as ritual. WORKS: •Gallaratese 2 Residential Complex, Milan, 1969-73 •San Cataldo Cemetery, Modena, 1971, 1978-84 Pavillon in Borgo Ticino, Borgo Ticino, 1973 •Teatro del Mondo, Venice, 1979-80 •Wohnanlage La Villette, Paris, 1986-91 •School of Architecture, University of Miami, Miami, 1986-93 •Hotel il Palazzo, Fukuoka, 1987-89 •Disney Office Complex in Disneyland, Orlando, 1991-94 •Quartier Schutzenstrasse, Berlin-Mitte, 1995-97 •Scholastic Building in New York TEATRO DEL MONDO The theatre, in which the architecture serves as a possible background, a setting, a building that can be calculated and transformed into the measurements and concrete materials of an often elusive feeling, has been one of my passions. Constructed for the 1979-80 Venice Biennale, embodies Rossi's ideas about architecture but exceeds them in the imaginative solution he created, partly due to his infatuation with the theatre. •As Rossi reiterated throughout his career that architecture provides a stage for life, with public spaces acting as backdrops for life's experiences. •With neither theatre nor architecture existing without an event, Rossi focuses on the unexpected occurrences, the ever-changing meanings of a place due to ever-changing events. •His theater is not a place solely to watch performances but also a place to be watched, a place to observe and to be observed. This is accomplished on two levels, by placing the theatre as an object in the water and, on the inside, by placing the stage in the centre of the seats. •As spectators become part of the backdrop for the theatrical event, the city of Venice is drawn inside through window openings in the upper balconies. •Uneasiness occurs as the people sitting in these areas are aware of the presence of boats and the visual rise and fall of the theatre on the water. AWARDS: •1970 – He won the competition for the chair of Building characteristics in Palermo •1981 – First prize in the international IBA competition for his project for n. 0 Friedrichsrasse in Berlin •1984 – First prize in the competition for the Carlo Felice Theatre in Genoa •1987 – First prize in the international competition for Villette south of Paris •1990 – He won the Pritzker Prize •1991 – He won the Aia Honor Award •1991 – He was awarded the City of Fukuoka prize for the best architecture with ‘Il Palazzo’ hotel complex •1992 – Winner of the ’1991 Thomas Jefferson Medal in Architecture’ and of the architecture prize ‘Campione d’Italia nel mondo’ September 4, 1997 – Aldo Rossi died in Milan following a road accident

Cite this page