manfredi nicoleti

manfredi nicoletti and paolo soleri .

it still surprises me that the truly great thinkers of our world go largely ignored by most people. somehow unless they enrich our lives through entertainment, or through ill-gained notoriety, they are doomed to toil wihout the kind of recognition they undoubtedly deserve. manfredi nicoletti is one such person. perhaps it’s my own misguided sense of what is right and wrong but i think people should be familiar with the names and work of the great bridge builders, the great architects, the great artists, musicians, writers, dramatists, designers, and thinkers not only of the past but of the present time. perhaps especially those of the present time.

manfredi’s list of mentors alone is one of the most amazing (if you love architectural design) i’ve come across - manfredi has worked and studied with a veritable architecture hall of fame: buckminster fuller, walter gropius, louis kahn, pier luigi nervi, and eero saarinen. any one of those men would give you huge credentials and skills as a teacher and colleague, but five of them!!

let’s look at some of nicoletti’s thinking . . . . this won an honourable mention for a design to house the warsaw museum of modern art. the design is comprised of two elements. the “crystalline container” is an austere transparent structure that at once protects and reveals. the street that this structure is sited on is dominated by a stalinist-style skyscraper, the tallest building in warsaw and a symbol of the former soviet oppression. inside the crystal structure are two symbolic free and overflowing forms, which serve "as visual metaphors for polish untameable vitality". the two structures shatter the immobility of the container; they break out towards the space outside; they both characterise and dispute the urban skyline.

here are a few of nicoletti's designs . . . for malaysia . . . kazhakstan . . . palazzo di giustizia di arezzo . . .

manfredi's homepage is a treasure trove of brilliant design. be sure to visit!