Valerio Olgiati - Non-Referential Architecture (A+U 601)

The magazine’s second monograph dedicated to Swiss architect Valerio Olgiati, whose buildings can be typified by their “non-referential” character. It includes an essay by Olgiati and Mark Breitschmid, as well as a short piece by Go Hasegawa that engages the reader’s senses in an intimate encounter with Villa Além, designed by Olgiati in Portugal. The issue introduces a total of fifteen diverse works, each accompanied by textured drawings and a text by the architect, who is considered to operate in a cultural rather than political manner. Among these are Pearling Site in Bahrain, Torre San Felipe in Lima, the Céline flagship store in Miami, and Zurich’s School Building Schauenberg.