Cesar Pelli Quotes

Argentina, Architect
October 12, 1926 – July, 19, 2019.

César Pelli was an Argentine architect who designed some of the world's tallest buildings and other major urban landmarks. Two of his most notable buildings are the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur and the World Financial Center in New York City. The American Institute of Architects named him one of the ten most influential living American architects in 1991 and awarded him the AIA Gold Medal in 1995. In 2008, the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat presented him with The Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award.

The desire to reach for the sky runs very deep in the human psyche.

Cesar Pelli
- Running
- Desire
- Humans
When I started designing in school, I discovered that I had a knack for it. I fell completely in love with architecture, and I remain in love with it.

Cesar Pelli

I am a strong believer that as one moves toward the future, the strongest and clearest way to do it is if you have a good sense of your past. You cannot have a very tall tree without deep roots.

Cesar Pelli
- Past
- Strong
- Moving
I always look forward to the next project. That is one of the wonderful things about architecture - you always can hope for another project to design.

Cesar Pelli
One of America's strengths has always been its openness to the new: both new ideas and new people.

Cesar Pelli
- Ideas
- Openness
The World Trade Center was for me not only out of scale vertically, but it was also out of scale in plan. It occupied several blocks that were all massed together.

Cesar Pelli
- World
- Together
- Plans
When I finished high school, I was 16, and in Argentina you have to choose a career right after high school. There is no such thing as a liberal arts education.

Cesar Pelli
- School
- Art
- Education
Im particularly interested in the public role that all buildings play. I believe that we architects should try to go beyond our basic obligations to the public, and our opportunities to do so are many.

Cesar Pelli

My buildings are like my children, so I cannot have favorites.

Cesar Pelli
- Children
- Building
I see my buildings as pieces of cities, and in my designs I try to make them into responsible and contributing citizens.

Cesar Pelli
- Trying
- Design
- Building
I realize that having a style would be very beneficial for my practice from a marketing standpoint, but I can't do it. I believe my responsibilities as an architect are to design the most appropriate building for the place. Each place has a distinct culture and function, which for me requires an appropriate answer.

Cesar Pelli
The Connecticut Center for Science and Exploration will be a building that will connect the excitement of science to the surrounding streets, river and highway. These forms are ambitious and dynamic. They appear to reach out beyond their physical limits.

Cesar Pelli
There may be some changes in building codes, but I don't see any stylistic departure that you'll be able to attribute to Sept. 11.

Cesar Pelli
- Building
- Code
- Attributes
Construction is a matter of optimism; its a matter of facing the future with confidence.

Cesar Pelli