Carlo de Carli (19191999)

Carlo de Carli graduated from the Politecnico di Milano in 1934. Most of his architectural and design works date from between the Second World War and the early 1970s. One of his most significant architectural creations is situated at 7 Via dei Giardini in Milan, incorporating apartments, offices and even a tiny theatre. De Carli worked with Gio Ponti before setting up a studio of his own. His furniture designs were soon widely admired and produced by major Italian manufacturers such as Cassina and Tecno, and in 1954 he won the much-coveted Compasso d’Oro. From 1965 to 1968 he was Dean of the faculty of architecture of the Politecnico di Milan, where he taught until 1986. A respected academic, his philosophy centred on the rhythms and continuities linking space, matter and the human body. His most important writings are united in the book Primary Space Architecture published in 1982.