Carlos Ott (born October 16, 1946, in

Montevideo Montevideo () is the capital and largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . Montevideo is situated on the southern co ...

) is a

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

who resides in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

and many other countries. He became famous when he won his first prize in 1983 (among 744 architects from all over the world) for the construction of the

Opéra Bastille The Opéra Bastille (, "Bastille Opera House") is a modern opera house in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, France. Inaugurated in 1989 as part of President François Mitterrand's '' Grands Travaux'', it became the main facility of the Paris Nat ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, which was inaugurated on July 14, 1989 (bicentennial of the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

). He has offices in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four Direct-administered municipalities of China, direct-administered municipalities of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the ...

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of cities in the United Arab Emirates#Major cities, most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 ...

and

.Carlos Ott (in Spanish)

Education

Ott graduated from the School of Architecture at the

University of the Republic, Uruguay The University of the Republic ( es, Universidad de la República, sometimes ''UdelaR'') is Uruguay's oldest public university. It is by far the country's largest university, as well as the second largest public university in South America an ...

at the age of 23. In 1971, he received a

Fulbright Scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

and went to study at the

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

and graduated with a Masters in Architecture and Urban Design from

Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

's School of Architecture in 1972.

Early career

From 1972 to 1974, he worked as an architect for Baldwin & Cheshire Architects in

Brunswick, Georgia Brunswick () is a city in and the county seat of Glynn County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As the primary urban and economic center of the lower southeast portion of Georgia, it is the second-largest urban area on the Georgia coastline after S ...

, and for ARQUECO in San Jose, Costa Rica. In 1975, he moved to

where he was associate architect until 1979 at Moffat, Moffat Kinoshita & Associates Architects in

. From 1979 to 1983, he joined Cadillac Fairview Corporation as architect responsible for commercial and multi-purpose projects in Canada. From 1983 to 1993, he joined NORR Partnership Ltd, the largest Canadian firm, located in Toronto as partner heading the Design and Architecture Division. Under his direction important projects in Canada and the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (Middle East, The Middle East). It is ...

were designed and built, including the Federal Court Building (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - not built yet, Simcoe Place (Toronto), Mixed Use Complex and Residential/Commercial Development for HE Sheik Tahnoon in

, Union National Bank (Dubai), National Bank of Dubai (Dubai) and Union National Bank (

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dha ...

). In 1983, Ott won the international design competition for the Opera de la Bastille in

Paris, France Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

, to commemorate the 200 year anniversary of the French Revolution on July 14, 1989. Ott was selected from 744 participants as one of the three finalists and then hand-picked by French President

François Mitterrand François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...

as the winner of this prestigious project. In order to carry out the supervision of this project, he moved to Paris and formed a team, which in turn gave him international recognition and opened doors to many countries. His next accomplishments followed by winning the competition for an extremely advanced hospital in

Weimar Weimar is a city in the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is located in Central Germany between Erfurt in the west and Jena in the east, approximately southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together with the neighbouri ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

and several competitions in the United Arab Emirates such as: the Sheikh Zayed Road Development Project (Abu Dhabi), the National Bank of Abu Dhabi Headquarters (Abu Dhabi), Etisalat Telecom & Administration Building (Abu Dhabi), Majid Al Futtaim Project (Dubai), Baniyas Road Development (Dubai), Offices for the

Al-Futtaim Group The Al-Futtaim Group ( ar, مجموعة الفطيم, Majmouat al-Futtaim) is a large conglomerate based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. History The group was founded in the 1930s and expanded rapidly in the 1940s and 1950s becoming an integrated ...

(Dubai), the New Dubai Creek Hilton Hotel (Dubai). In 1993, Carlos Ott won several other competitions in Europe such as the Salle des Spectacles in Mont-de-Marsan, France and the Thomson Headquarters Building, Offices and Laboratories in

Geneva, Switzerland Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situa ...

Return to Uruguay

In 1992 he returned to

to open an office which would complement his others around the world. From this new addition to his consortium, he completed projects such as: the International Airport of Laguna del Sauce (Punta del Este, Uruguay); the International Airport of Ushuaia-Malvinas Argentinas (Tierra del Fuego, Argentina); the Punta Shopping Centre (Punta del Este, Uruguay); Telecommunications Tower, the new headquarters for the state-owned telecommunications company ANTEL ( Montevideo, Uruguay); the Libertad Plaza Building (

Buenos Aires, Argentina Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South A ...

); the International Airport Lago Argentino (El Calafate, Provincia de Santa Cruz, Argentina); among others.

China

In 1997, he was invited to participate in the competition for the Jiang Su Opera House in Nanjing, China where he obtained first prize. As a result, he was invited into another series of very important competitions such as the Beijing Opera House, the Commercial and Residential GW Plaza, and won the contract for the National Grand Theater of Hangzhou, China from yet another international competition. He won after Dong Guan Yulan Theatre, the Wenzhou National Theatre and the Henan Art Centre. In front of the Hangzhou Grand Theatre was selected to build the Hangzhou International Conference Center including a 5 stars hotel of more than 400 rooms.

Current Projects

Ott continues to travel the world and is currently working on projects in USA, Canada, Argentina, Chile, Peru, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Panama, Singapore, China, United Arab Emirates, India, Sri Lanka, Brazil, Paraguay, Philippines and Uruguay.

Awards

Among his awards are Arts et Lettres and the Legion d´Honneur awarded in 1986 and 1988 respectively by French President François Mitterrand, the Gold Medal awarded by the Faculty of Architecture in Uruguay in 1990, the Distinguished Alumni Award from Washington University in 1997, and the Vitruvio Award from the Museo de Bellas Artes in Buenos Aires, also in 1997.

Main works

* Bastille Opera,

(1989) * Simcoe Place,

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

(1995) * Ushuaia – Malvinas Argentinas International Airport,

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...

(1995) * National Bank of Dubai,

(1997) * Capitán de Corbeta Carlos A. Curbelo International Airport,

Punta del Este Punta del Este () is a seaside city and peninsula on the Atlantic Coast in the Maldonado Department of southeastern Uruguay. Starting as a small town, Punta del Este later became internationally known as a resort for the Latin and North American j ...

(1997) * Libertad Plaza,

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

(2000) * Comandante Armando Tola International Airport,

El Calafate El Calafate, also known as ''Calafate'', is a city in Patagonia, Argentina. It is situated on the southern border of Lake Argentino, in the southwest part of the Santa Cruz Province (Argentina), Santa Cruz Province, about northwest of Río Galleg ...

, Santa Cruz Province,

(2000) *

Torre Antel Torre de las Telecomunicaciones ''(Telecommunications Tower)'' or Torre Joaquín Torres García ''(Joaquín Torres García Tower)'', usually referred as ''Antel Tower'', is a 157 meter tall building with 35 floors located in Montevideo, Uruguay. ...

(2002) *

Calgary Courts Centre Calgary Courts Centre is the largest court facility in Canada, and is located in Calgary, Alberta. It was constructed by the Government of Alberta and provides over 1 million square feet (90,000 m²) of court and office space. History Construc ...

, downtown

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, maki ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...

(2007) *

Hotel Boca A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

by Design Suites,

(2012) * Universidad Argentina de la Empresa
Sede Pinamar
* The Proscenium at Rockwell,

Makati City, Philippines Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...

* ECHO Aventura
Aventura, Florida
(2014) *

Muse (apartment building) Muse Residences is an apartment building condo development in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida.Sunny Isles, Florida Sunny Isles Beach (SIB, officially the City of Sunny Isles Beach) is a city located on a barrier island in northeast Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Intracoastal Waterway on ...

References

External links

Biography of Carlos Ott

Photos of his work at Flickr
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ott, Carlos Uruguayan architects University of the Republic (Uruguay) alumni 1947 births People from Montevideo Uruguayan people of German descent Living people Canadian architects Uruguayan emigrants to Canada Fulbright alumni