Arata Isozaki, Pritzker-winning architect of Italy's tallest skyscraper, dies at 91

Arata Isozaki, the Japanese architect who designed Milan's Torre Allianz (Italy's tallest skyscraper) and won the Pritzker Prize in 2019, has died at age 91. Born in Ōita in 1931, he witnessed the devastation of World War II, which shaped his architectural philosophy. After apprenticing under Kenzo Tange, he founded Arata Isozaki & Associates in 1963. His early works include the Ōita Prefectural Library, Expo '70 Festival Plaza, Museum of Modern Art in Gunma, and Kitakyushu Municipal Museum of Art. He conceived the unbuilt City in the Air project for Tokyo. His first international commission was the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles (1981-1986). Other notable projects include Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Team Disney Building in Florida, Shenzhen Cultural Center, Qatar National Convention Center, Shanghai Symphony Hall, Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, and Hunan Provincial Museum. In Italy, he collaborated with Andrea Maffei on the unbuilt Uffizi exit in Florence, the Pala Isozaki in Turin (2002-2005), and the Torre Allianz in Milan (2003-2014). Stefano Boeri paid tribute, recalling Isozaki's concept of "Ma" and his lecture at Politecnico di Milano.