Famed Architect Rafael Viñoly Dies At 78
Esteemed architect Rafael Viñoly, the Uruguayan-born designer of signature skyscrapers in New York and London, died last week.
Viñoly was the designer of what was briefly the world's tallest residential tower, 432 Park Ave. in Manhattan, as well as 20 Fenchurch St. in London, better known as the Walkie Talkie building. He died from an aneurysm at 78, according to El País, a news outlet in Viñoly’s home country.
“He was a visionary who will be missed by all those whose lives he touched through his work,” his son, Román Viñoly, wrote in a statement. “He leaves a rich legacy of distinctive and timeless designs that manifested in some of the world’s most recognizable and iconic structures.”
His designs were not without controversy. The residents of 432 Park have sued the building's developers, CIM Group and Harry Macklowe, accusing them of shoddy construction work and structural defects. The Walkie Talkie building in London notoriously melted parts of a car with the reflection of the sun off its glass facade, forcing design changes to reduce the glare, The New York Times reported.
But they also drew widespread acclaim for their restraint and use of sharp lines, industrial inspiration and interiors bathed in light. He also designed the Bronx County Hall of Justice, the home of Jazz at Lincoln Center in Columbus Circle and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. He designed the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Tokyo International Forum and the Carrasco Airport in Montevideo, Uruguay, his birth city, as well.
Viñoly was born to theater director Román Viñoly Bareto and math teacher Maria Beceiro. He studied architecture at the University of Buenos Aires before relocating to New York City amid the political upheaval in Argentina in the late 1970s. He founded his eponymous architecture firm in 1983. He is survived by his wife, Diana, and three children, Román, Lucas and Nicolás.
