Valerio Olgiati

Valerio Olgiati (1958) is an award-winning Swiss architect. After studying at ETH Zürich, he lived temporarily in Los Angeles, a period he considers the most influential in his development as an architect. In 1996, Valerio Olgiati founded his own architecture studio, which now has offices in Switzerland and Portugal. He calls his work “non-referential architecture”, a term that refers to buildings as holding their own meaning within themselves, rejecting any outside symbolism or ideology. Defined by their aesthetic purity, the architect’s projects are distinctive and expressive in the dialogue they create between form and light. Valerio Olgiati’s work has received many awards and has been exhibited internationally. Some of his most renowned buildings include the UNESCO World Heritage Bahrain Pearling Trail Visiting Center in Muharraq, the Museum of Art in Chur, Switzerland, the Museum Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland, and Villa Além in Alentejo, Portugal. He has also taught at ETH Zürich, Cornell University, and Harvard University.