Cesar Pelli
Cesar Pelli was born in Argentina where he earned a Diploma in Architecture from the University of Tucumán. He went on to design several award-winning projects in the US and abroad and, in 1977, he became Dean of the School of Architecture at Yale University. That same year he also established his own architectural firm, now known as Pelli Clarke Pelli, in New Haven, Connecticut (US). Throughout the life of the firm, Mr. Pelli has personally originated and directed the design of each of its projects. Though he resigned his post as Dean in 1984, he continues to lecture on architecture.
Mr. Pelli has received 11 Honorary Degrees and over 150 awards for design excellence. In 1995, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) awarded him its Gold Medal in recognition of a lifetime of distinguished achievement in architecture. In 1991, the AIA selected Mr. Pelli as one of the 10 most influential living American architects and, in 1989, awarded Pelli Clarke Pelli its Firm Award. For his design of the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Mr. Pelli received the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2004. He is the only architect to receive a Connecticut State Arts Award.
Mr. Pelli's work has been widely published and exhibited, with nine books dedicated to his designs and theories. In 1999, he wrote Observations for Young Architects (Monacelli Press) as a distillation of his thoughts on a profession he loves.