César Pelli’s Soaring Skyscrapers and Daring Designs
Architect César Pelli has been responsible for some of the world’s most striking skyscrapers over his long career. Born in 1926, Pelli studied at the University of Tucuman, in his native Argentina, before beginning his career in the Michigan offices of Eero Saarinen. The architect then worked at the firms DMJM and Gruen Associates, before founding his own enterprise, Cesar Pelli & Associates (now Pelli Clarke Pelli). His designs are known for their scale and sensitivity to the surrounding landscape, and include urban landmarks such as Kuala Lumpur’s Petronas Towers (at one point the tallest buildings in the world), New York’s World Financial Center, and the colorful Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. Over the next few years, his firm will complete buildings in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco.