Francesco Fresa was born in Rome where he undertook his architectural studies, training between Italy and Berlin. Here he lived for six years, working on a number of projects in the ferment of the city during its reconstruction phase. He then worked in New York at the Gwathmey Siegel Kaufman studio. From 1991 to 1996 he worked with Gregotti Associati, for whom he was responsible for projects in Germany, in particular the competitions for the development of Potsdamer Platz and Central Station.
In 1996, together with Germán Fuenmayor, Gino Garbellini and Monica Tricario, he founded Piuarch, one of the best-known architecture studios in Italy today. Francesco Fresa holds courses and lectures at international universities and institutions on the themes that characterise the design of the studio.
Piuarch is a collective of international professionals with a wide range of training methods, personalities, and experience dedicated to pursuing the concept of contemporary architecture deeply rooted in its locality. Piuarch projects range from company headquarters, office buildings, production sites, retail and hospitality structures to the development of residential complexes and urban regeneration schemes. All projects are based on an analysis of the urban, historical, social and cultural context, and developed in harmony with these concepts. Each Piuarch project is aimed towards the most stimulating of architectural challenges: to improve cities, the life of the inhabitants, and conditions for collective wellbeing.
Sustainable design is a guiding principle of the firm: practices such as the adaptive reuse of buildings are concretely embodied in projects including the Gucci Hub, Dolce&Gabbana’s Milan headquarters, and the redevelopment of the Manifattura Tabacchi complex in Florence. The firm has designed projects for leading companies in their sectors, such as the Techbau HQ, and has won major public and private competitions, including the ones for the Human Technopole Foundation, the Fendi Factory, Snam’s Milan headquarters. With completed and ongoing interventions in Italy, the Netherlands, France, Russia, Korea and the United Arab Emirates, Piuarch confirms its vocation for operating at an international level.
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