1926-2019

César Pelli passed away in New Haven on 19 July. One of the most important professionals in the field of corporate architecture. Born to a humble family of San Miguel de Tucumán, Pelli was the quintessential self-made architect: after graduating at his home city in 1948, and marrying the also architect and future partner Diana Balmori, Pelli settled in 1952 in the United States after being accepted into the University of Illinois, already with the ambition of making a name for himself in the large offices of that time. He achieved this when he became partner of Eero Saarinen, architect with whom he worked during years and who was a huge influence on him. His great opportunity as independent professional arose in 1977 with the commission to extend the MoMA. That is when, together with his wife, he set up his own office at Yale, becoming dean of the university. The office soon reaped much success in the demanding context of corporate architecture, and signed large and emblematic works like the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur or Torre Cristal in Madrid, for which he earned world renown.