Aldo Loris Rossi, Forgotten Italian Utopian Architect, Dies at 85

Aldo Loris Rossi, the visionary Italian architect known for his colossal urban proposals, died on June 28, 2018, at age 85. Born in 1933 to a working-class family, he emerged in the 1960s with projects for megastructures up to 800 meters tall and a kilometer long, housing 250,000 to 500,000 inhabitants. Influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright and Paolo Soleri, Rossi developed a neo-organic, expressionist style blending horizontal and vertical elements, curves, and towers. His works, like the Casa del Portuale in Naples and buildings in Bisaccia, are characterized by brutalist concrete, labyrinthine spaces, and dynamic forms. A member of the Radical Party, he saw architecture as political and wrote extensively. Despite his prolific output, Rossi fell into obscurity, his utopian visions deemed impractical. The article, written by Luigi Prestinenza Puglisi, argues that Rossi's work deserves renewed study. Rossi is remembered for his extraordinary memory and generosity.