Vittorio Gregotti, the Italian architect who designed the Città di Pujiang, an Italian-style town in Shanghai, has died. Gregotti is said to have contracted COVID-19 and succumbed to the illness on 15 March.
Gregotti began his career as a writer for architecture and design magazine Casabella shortly after completing his studies at Politecnico di Milano in 1952. He then served as the magazine’s editor in chief for eight years before opening his own architectural firm Gregotti Associati International in 1974. Major projects that Gregotti completed at the practice include the Belém cultural center in Lisbon, stadia in Barcelona, Nîmes, Genoa and Morocco, and the redevelopment of Bicocca, Milan, which included the Arcimboldi Theatre, departments for the University of Bicocca and headquarters for Siemens and Pirelli.
The renowned architect is also remembered for his curatorial work, most notably the 1975 exhibition A Proposito del Mulino Stucky. In 1976 he was appointed director of the visual arts section of the Venice Biennale, marking the first time architecture and design were heavily featured at the biennial, which ultimately led to the development of the architectural edition in 1980.
18 March 2020
