Cesar Pelli was born in Argentina where he earned a diploma in Architecture from the University of Tucumán in 1949.  Several years later, he came to the United States to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  He was a graduate student in the College of Fine and Applied Arts and worked in the Ricker Library of Architecture and Art.  He went on to earn an M.S. in Architecture Illinois in 1954, and as a result of his illustrious career has become one of the most respected architects of the modern era.

Mr. Pelli has worked for a number of different firms and noteworthy architects, including Eero Saarinin (1954-1964), DMJM VP Design (1964-1965), and Gruen Associates (1968-1977).  In 1977, Mr. Pelli became Dean of the Yale University School of Architecture and founded his own design firm, Cesar Pelli & Associates.  In 1984 he resigned from his post as Dean, but continues to lecture on architecture.  Mr. Pelli has been widely published on topics dedicated to his designs and theories.

Mr. Pelli’s designs include the Minneapolis Public Library (2006), the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, California (2005), the Overture Project in Madison, Wisconsin (2005), and the North Carolina Performing Arts Institute in Raleigh-Durhan, North Carolina (2003).  He was also the architect of the 1,483-foot Petronas Towers in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia.  When they were unveiled in 1998, they were the world’s tallest buildings, whose design won him the Aga Khan Award for Architecture in 2004.

Mr. Pelli has received twelve Honorary Degrees and over 200 awards for design excellence throughout his career.  In 1991, he was named one of the most influential American architects by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), who in 1995 also awarded him their Gold Medal in recognition of a lifetime of distinguished achievement in architecture.  In 1996, Mr. Pelli also received an Alumni Achievement Award from the University of Illinois.   As co-designer of the newly completed Business Instructional Facility for the College of Business, a project the architect undertook with his son, Rafael Pelli, Mr. Pelli has made a distinctive mark on the Urbana-Champaign campus. When asked about this latest project, Mr. Pelli said, “In many ways, it’s like designing a building in your home town. I have a great deal of love and respect for the campus here at the University of Illinois.”

Pelli’s Central Library (below) in Minneapolis, Minnesota opened on May 20, 2006 at a cost of $250 per square foot. The American Institute of Architects recently awarded the Central Library a 2009 AIA/ALA Library Building Award, calling the building one of the “finest examples of library design by architects licensed in the U.S.”

The Petronas Twin Towers (right) were the world’s tallest buildings from 1998-2004, when they were surpassed by Taipei 101.  However, they still hold the title of tallest twin towers in the world.

The Orange County Performing Arts Center (right) is located in Costa Mesa, California, and features the 3000-seat Segerstrom Concert Hall (exterior pictured).