 |  |
 | | Antonio Citterio
Internationally renowned architect and designer, Antonio Citterio, has been immersed in Italy’s architecture and design fraternity from a very young age, deciding on his career path at the age of just 13.
Since graduating from the polytechnic university in Milan (1972), he has crafted an international career including his work in design, project management, realization of office buildings and creation of interiors. Citterio is now a fixture in the fashion realm, where his interiors and modern furniture serve as style statements for top end label icons. | |
| | |
 | "I have not done 'pieces of work' … I have done 'companies'", says Antonio, referring to his long-term relationship with companies such as B & B Italia, Vitra and Kartell.
In fact, true to the training of an Italian architect, Citterio's has designed everything that "surrounds man", from cutlery and lamps, to home fitness equipment, industrial products and entire corporate buildings. | |
| | | The 1990's marked Citterio's first notable achievement in modern furniture design when he designed a new office seating product for Vitra. Executed in steel, leather and fabric, its elegance and simplicity belied the strength of its functionality. Citterio went on | |
to create a series of colorful folding tables and trolleys made from plastic, aluminum and steel designed to provide an appealing option for office storage.
His Sity seating for B&B won the covetedCompasso |  | |
d'Oro in 1987. His trolley Battista and container unit "Mobil" for Kartell are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Centre Pompidou, Paris. | |
 | His "Ad Hoc" line for Vitra is virtually synonymous with versatility and popularity in the office systems category.
Antonio Citterio utilizes a fresh, hi-tech direction, combined with simple geometrics. This philosophy is clearly seen in The Axess, Oson C and Oson S chairs, which have a proven track record as call centre chairs. Axess and Osen Chairs reflect the latest technological developments and introduces a new, organic shape to the workplace.
Citterio creates visual interest, mixing high-tech and natural materials or reworking earlier forms with stark | |
| | | modernist lines, yet keeps a simplicity for functionality and ease of use.
Considered to be one of Italy's finest architects and designers, Antonio Citterio runs a multidisciplinary studio for architectural design, industrial design, and graphics from his birthplace, Milan.
Since 2005 the studio has broadened its portfolio with the development of residential complexes, trade centres and industrial | |
 | |
sites, and the restoration of public buildings. It also works on planning workspaces, offices, showrooms and hotels. Citterio has even moved into the field of corporate communication and corporate image |  | |
projects (such as the one for De Beers), as well as designing fittings and graphics.
Previous architectural works include the headquarters for Esprit in Amsterdam, Antwerp and Milan; Industrial plants for Vitra in Germany and for Antonio Fusco in Milan, the Habitat Store, London, and the B&B Italia factory.
Antonio declares that he does not have a 'style'. "I just know what I like and what I do not like", he says. | |
| | |
 | He cites Italian protorationalist architects such as Charles and Ray Eames, Louis Kahn, and Tadao Ando as his inspiration and particularly notes Alvaro Siza designs for which he has great respect.
Overall, Antonio creates things for himself, and leaves it for others to judge and analyze his 'style'. He has stated that he does not work with marketing instructions, | |
 | |
| | | rather bases his decisions by asking himself whether he would like to be surrounded by his own creations. "I can never force it", he says. "If it can not work, then what does it matter?". |  | |
 | |
Citterio's method of designing to please himself has spanned his entire career and leaves his personality stamped on everything he creates. This focus has transcended international identities, as his works are equally appreciated outside of his Italian roots including Europe and Japan.
Most notable is his longtivity in a field of ever-changing trends. Through his consistency he has risen to become one of the field's most vibrant luminaries over a period of more than three decades. | |
In 2006, Citterio claimed the Best Designers of the Red Dot Award for product design, including the Best of the Best, with the design of the "Shaker" fireplace oven for Skantherm. |  | |
Other recent projects include 'giving the finishing touches' to the De Beers boutique in Beverly Hills and to a Bulgari Hotel and Resort in Bali. Construction of 'Technogym Village' in Cesena, Italy, and a masterplan project for the redesign of Technogym's production site, offices and trade centre.
Ongoing projects in 2007 include the redevelopment of Ex Riva Calzoni in Milan as a tertiary and hospitality area; New public squares in Busto Arsizio and Rozzano and project for the rehabilitation of the Molo Guardiano Sud quay in Marina di Ravenna, after winning the architectural competition launched by the Ravenna Port Authority. | |
| | |
 | Citterio continues to share his talents with the world, both through his continuous projects and his commitment to teaching (he has | |
 | taught at Domus Academyin Milan and at Universita’ La Sapienza in Rome, and he has been teaching at Thearchitecture Academy in Mendrisio since 1999.) | |
| | | |  | |
 | |
His Ambition is widely noted:
"I would like to design buildings that aren't contaminated by commercial aspects, a church, a museum... where what is inside the building enhances the building itself," he says. | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
- url: 
1.888.567.2228
