In 2000, Paolo Brescia and Tommaso Principi established the collective OBR to investigate new approaches to contemporary living by creating a design network connecting

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. After working with

Renzo Piano Renzo Piano (; born 14 September 1937) is an Italian architect. His notable works include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (with Richard Rogers, 1977), The Shard in London (2012), Kansai International Airport in Osaka (1994), the Whitney ...

, Paolo and Tommaso directed OBR's research toward integrating artifice and nature, creating sensitive architecture in perpetual evolution, and stimulating interaction between people and their environment. The OBR team develops its design practice through public and private social programs, using

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

to promote community spirit and individual identity. Today, the OBR group collaborates with multidisciplinary contributors and institutions including Accademia di Architettura di Mendrisio, Aalto University, the Academy of Architecture of Mumbai, and Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University. Notable OBR projects include the Pythagoras Museum, the New Galleria Sabauda in Turin, the Milanofiori Residential Complex, the Children's Hospital in Parma, Galliera Hospital in Genoa, the Lido of Genoa, Ex Cinema Roma, and the Triennale di Milano Terrace. Current projects under construction include the Lehariya Cluster in Jaipur, the Jafza Traders Market in Dubai, and the Multiuse Complex Ahmad Qasir in Tehran. OBR's work has been exhibited at the Venice Biennale of Architecture, the Royal Institute of British Architects in London, the Bienal de Arquitetura of Brasília, MAXXI in Rome, and the Triennale di Milano. The firm has received numerous awards including: The AR Award for Emerging Architecture at RIBA Plusform Under 40 Urbanpromo at the 11th Venice Biennale Honorable mention for the Medaglia d'Oro all'Architettura Italiana Europe 40 Under 40 in Madrid Leaf Award overall winner in London WAN Residential Award Building Healthcare Award Inarch Award for Italian Architecture The American Architecture Prize in New York Since 2004, OBR has aligned its design parameters with

LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a Green building certification systems, green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating ...

environmental standards, and became a partner of the GBC (Green Building Council) in 2009.

Biography

Paolo Brescia

Paolo Brescia was born in

Chiavari Chiavari (; ) is a seaside comune (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Genoa, in Italy. It has about 28,000 inhabitants. It has a beachside promenade and a marina and is situated near the river Entella (river), Entella. History Pre-Rom ...

on 6 July 1970. He earned his architecture degree from Politecnico di Milano in 1996 and began collaborating with Renzo Piano Building Workshop in 1998. In 2000, he co-founded OBR Open Building Research with Tommaso Principi. He has served as a visiting professor at numerous institutions including: Università degli Studi di Genova Politecnico di Milano Università di Trieste Luiss Sapienza Università di Roma Kent State University Mendrisio Academy of Architecture Aalto University, Helsinki Academy of Architecture, Mumbai From 2004 to 2005, he was a professor at Politecnico di Milano's Faculty of Industrial Design.

Tommaso Principi

Tommaso Principi was born in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

on 20 May 1970. After studying Civil Engineering at Università degli Studi di Bologna, he earned his architecture degree from Università degli Studi di Genova in 1999, having worked with Renzo Piano Building Workshop during his studies. He co-founded OBR with Paolo Brescia in 2000. His academic appointments include: Università degli Studi di Genova Politecnico di Milano Sapienza Università di Roma Università degli Studi di Bologna Università di Messina Kent State University In 2007, he coordinated the International Workshop ICAMP for the Sustainable Development of the Strait of Messina area.

External links

References

{{Reflist, 24em Architecture firms of Italy Companies based in Genoa Design companies established in 2000 2000 establishments in Italy