RIBA Trust Presents Exhibition on Valerio Olgiati

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) announced an exhibition celebrating Swiss architect Valerio Olgiati, examining seven of his projects from the last few years including his extraordinary competition winning design for the Perm Museum XXI in Russia; the National Park Visitor's Centre at Zernez, Switzerland with its unique spatial mirroring and the striking black exterior and interiors of his own office at Flims - the latter resulting from his belief that dark interiors make for a better appreciation of the exterior world from within, creating more extrovert, public spaces.

The exhibition explores Olgiati's rigorous conceptual design framework through a series of spectacular plaster models at a scale of 1:33, accompanied by photographs and renderings. These highlight thematic issues in his work such as choice and use of materials, the importance of high-quality craftsmanship, his attitude to structure and the formal clarity of design. Also included are key images, described as his personal musee imaginaire, providing insights into the influences and decisive stages of his design process.



The seven projects on display are:

Office of Valerio Olgiati, Flims, Switzerland; 2008
Perm Museum XXI, Perm, Russia; Competition winner 2008
National Park Visitor's Center, Zernez, Switzerland; 2008
Atelier House, Bardill, Scharans, Switzerland; 2007
Learning Center EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland; 2004
The Yellow House, Flims, Switzerland; 1999
School Building, Paspels, Switzerland; 1998

Valerio Olgiati, born in 1958, founded his practice in 1996. He has been Chair of the Accademia de Archittettura in Mendriosio since 2002 and was a Guest Professor at the Cornell University, New York in 2005.

The exhibition coincides with the publishing of the first scholarly monograph on Valerio Oligiati, designed by Dino Simonett and published by Walther König.

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