Cesar Pelli

Cesar Pelli Analysis

Cesar Pelli’s Observations for Young Architects consolidates the primary foundation of successful architecture into eight connections based on his own experiences working on buildings throughout the world. These eight connections are time, construction, place, purpose, culture, design process, constituency, and oneself.

Throughout the book, Mr. Pelli discusses the balance that an architect needs to achieve in order to create something that is innovative, memorable, and relevant, while also making sure that it is feasible, fits into it’s surroundings, and serves an intended purpose. He likes to compare architecture to art, while making it clear that there are major differences. These differences include built in limitations that artists do not face such as construction feasibility, time, and ultimately, understanding that the architect must collaborate effectively with other entities such as ownership, zoning laws, and budgets. One quote that truly exemplifies this point can be found on page 143 in his discussion of culture, when Mr. Pelli says, “A free architect is an unemployed architect.” As opposed to artists, architects typically do not own the project they are working on, but instead are employed to deliver a finalized product that is a collaborative effort. Mr. Pelli points out that this requires strong communication and teamwork between the architects, developers, cities, lawyers, contractors, and other members of the development team.

While there are many interesting points that Mr. Pelli discusses in his book, I think that one of the most relevant to New York City real estate is his discussion of “place”. While an architect may have unique aspirations for an individual building, it is essential that it fit into the larger picture of its surroundings. This clearly is a difficult balance for the most successful and innovative architects achieve when creating something that both fits into the setting, but at the same time sets itself...