Uruguayan worked on several projects in UK including Battersea Power Station and Manchester City training ground
Rafael Viñoly, the renowned Uruguayan architect, has died aged 78, his practice has said.
Rafael Viñoly Architects announced his death, reportedly due to an aneurysm on Thursday, on its website. In a statement, the practice said: “He was a visionary who will be missed by all those whose lives he touched through his work.”
His best-known building in the UK is 20 Fenchurch Street, better known as the Walkie Talkie, which hit the headlines 10 years ago when the glare from the 37-floor skyscraper melted parked cars and damaged shops.
The City of London scheme divided opinion with former RIBA president George Ferguson describing it as a “child’s concept” and “ugly”. Viñoly responded by saying: “Anything that has the degree of impact that architecture has in general is bound to be controversial. It’s an essential part of the job.”
He also designed a training ground for Manchester City who said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our cherished friend and renowned architect, Rafael Viñoly who designed the club’s training ground, City Football Academy. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.”
The practice also masterplanned the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station with the initial plans, launched 15 years ago, including a 300m glass-eco tower that was later ditched.
Paying tribute, critic Hugh Pearman wrote: “A shame Rafael Viñoly has died. His approach never quite worked in the UK but at his best he was formidable.”
And architect Ricky Burdett called him “a unique individual with a rare architectural and urban sensitivity. Curious, creative, informed, dynamic and funny. I will miss him.”
Born on in 1944, in Montevideo, Viñoly studied architecture at the University of Buenos Aires, receiving his Master of Architecture in 1969.
During the 1960s and 1970s, he worked in Argentina and was a co-founder of Estudio de Arquitectura.
As the 1970s wore on and repression in Argentina increased because of the military juntas, Vinoly relocated with his family to the US. Having worked as a visiting professor at Harvard, he went on to establish Rafael Viñoly Architects in New York in 1983, later opening further offices in Buenos Aires, London and California.
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Viñoly’s first UK project was the Curve Theatre in Leicester which opened in 2008 and he also produced the masterplan for the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter in Oxford.
He also left his mark on the skyline of New York, where he designed 432 Park Avenue, a residential skyscraper that stands at 1,396 feet tall and which was completed in 2015.
Viñoly’s impact on the world of architecture was far-reaching and his work earned him numerous awards and accolades over the course of his career.
In 1997, he was awarded the American Institute of Architects Honor Award for his design of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia. In 2002, he was named a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects, and in 2004, he was awarded the International Fellow of the Royal Institute of Architects of Ireland.
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