Pelli to headline New Haven Preservation Trust meeting

Trust also will elect new directors

NEW HAVEN — Cesar Pelli, senior principal of the firm of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, will give a presentation about his work at the annual meeting of the New Haven Preservation Trust at 6 p.m. May 13 at the Joseph M. Golden, Jr. Center at St. Thomas More Chapel, 268 Park St.
The event is free and open to the public, the trust said in a statement.
Pelli was born in Argentina where he earned a Diploma in Architecture from the University of Tucumán. He worked in the offices of Eero Saarinen as Project Designer for several buildings, including the TWA Terminal at JFK Airport in New York and Morse and Stiles Colleges at Yale University.
In 1977, Pelli became Dean of the Yale University School of Architecture and also founded Cesar Pelli & Associates. Since the firm’s establishment, Pelli has originated and directed the design of each of its projects. In 2005, the firm was renamed Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects.
Pelli believes that buildings should be responsible citizens and the aesthetic qualities of a building should grow from the specific characteristics of each project such as its location, its construction technology, and its purpose, the statement said. In search of the most appropriate response to each project, his designs have covered a wide range of solutions and materials, it said.
Pelli has written extensively on architectural issues. He has received 12 Honorary Degrees, more than 200 awards for design excellence and is a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the National Academy of Design, the International Academy of Architecture, and of l’Academie d’Architecture de France, the statement said.
In 1995, the American Institute of Architects awarded Pelli the Gold Medal, in recognition of a lifetime of distinguished achievement in architecture.
The trust meeting also will include election of new directors. The event is followed by a reception and silent auction, with a focus on art and architecture memorabilia. For more information, call 203-562-5919.