RIBA President Simon Allford has paid tribute to esteemed Uruguayan architect and 2006 RIBA International Fellow, Rafael Viñoly who has died at the age of 78.
Born in Montevideo in 1944, Viñoly studied architecture at the University of Buenos Aires, going on to establish his Practice in New York. Some of his most notable structures include the Tokyo International Forum, 20 Fenchurch Street, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. Viñoly was awarded an International Fellowship by RIBA in 2006 to commemorate his contributions to architecture.
RIBA President Simon Allford said:
"Viñoly was an impressive and generous architect who leaves behind an international body of work that has helped inform thinking about architecture and infrastructure across the globe. Across four decades of practice, he designed and built major projects that have left a vital mark of his talent and energy.
My memories of him are many. At the Battersea Power Station design reviews, he was thoughtful, reflective, engaged, and responsive, possessing a commitment to and an ever-watchful eye on the importance of the bigger idea. Indeed, my abiding recollection is of a highly skilled, amusing yet serious presenter of architectural and urban scaled ideas. His tools were his sharp intellect allied to his portfolio of remarkable projects, sketches, models and the multiple sets of spectacles he sported as a light-hearted professorial prop.
My heartfelt condolences go out to his wife Diana, his family and loved ones, and all of those who have found inspiration in his work."
