Architect Ricardo Scofidio has died, aged 89. One of his era's seminal creatives in the built environment field, Scofidio passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family, including his partner in life and work, Elizabeth Diller, announced his studio, Diller Scofidio + Renfro in an Instagram post.
'Ric had a profound impact on our architectural practice, establishing the studio with a mission to make space on his own terms. The firm’s partners and principals, many of whom have collaborated with him for decades, will extend his architectural legacy in the work we will continue to perform every day.'
Ricardo Scofidio: the architect's life and career
Scofidio co-founded Diller Scofidio with his partner in work and life, Elizabeth Diller, in New York in 1981. The pair worked together on projects that blur the lines of art and architecture, turning heads and making their mark with structures such as the Blur Building in Yverdon-les-Bains for the Swiss National Exposition in 2002.
The Blur Building (courtesy of Diller Scofidio + Renfro)
The mesmerising, 300ft-wide, 200ft-deep, 75ft-high lightweight tensegrity structure was set like an intangible cloud on the waters of Lake Neuchatel in Switzerland, challenging perceptions of what the very nature of architecture is.
The High Line, New York – see the discussion between Liz Diller and Stefan Sagmeister for Wallpaper*
Charles Renfro joined them as partner in the firm in 200 and Benjamin Gilmartin in 2015. The team went from strength to strength, completing some of the early 21st century's most celebrated buildings. Key examples include the New York High Line, The Broad in Los Angeles, The Shed, the MoMA expansion and the 15 Hudson Yards (all in New York).
The Broad, opened in 2015
At the same time, the studio continued to work tirelessly on the intersection of art and building, designing stage and performance sets, installations and exhibitions. In 2014, its conceptual work titled 'Musings on a Glass Box', took place in the glass box that happens to be Jean Nouvel's iconic Fondation Cartier in Paris; the effect was a 'stirring performance of playfulness and respect,' wrote our reporter, Amy Verner, at the time.
The Shed
Scofidio made an unforgettable mark in the architecture field, and his legacy will live on through his firm and his partners Diller and Renfro. Diller Scofidio + Renfro has announced that a memorial service to celebrate the architect's life is being planned, with news to follow in the coming weeks.
-
These illuminating interviews tell the story of 2025 in style, from Rick Owens to runway magicExploring themes of creativity, resilience and facing fashion’s future, a series of intriguing conversations from the style pages of Wallpaper* in 2025
-
This LA-based furniture designer finds a rhythm in music and makingWallpaper* Future Icons: LA-based Ah Um Design Studio's expressive furniture features zig-zagging wooden frames, mohair and boucle upholstery, and a distinctive use of tiles
-
This Mexican architecture studio has a surprising creative processThe architects at young practice Pérez Palacios Arquitectos Asociados (PPAA) often begin each design by writing out their intentions, ideas and the emotions they want the architecture to evoke
-
Step inside this resilient, river-facing cabin for a life with ‘less stuff’A tough little cabin designed by architects Wittman Estes, with a big view of the Pacific Northwest's Wenatchee River, is the perfect cosy retreat
-
Remembering Robert A.M. Stern, an architect who discovered possibility in the pastIt's easy to dismiss the late architect as a traditionalist. But Stern was, in fact, a design rebel whose buildings were as distinctly grand and buttoned-up as his chalk-striped suits
-
Own an early John Lautner, perched in LA’s Echo Park hillsThe restored and updated Jules Salkin Residence by John Lautner is a unique piece of Californian design heritage, an early private house by the Frank Lloyd Wright acolyte that points to his future iconic status
-
The Architecture Edit: Wallpaper’s houses of the monthFrom wineries-turned-music studios to fire-resistant holiday homes, these are the properties that have most impressed the Wallpaper* editors this month
-
The Stahl House – an icon of mid-century modernism – is for sale in Los AngelesAfter 65 years in the hands of the same family, the home, also known as Case Study House #22, has been listed for $25 million
-
Houston's Ismaili Centre is the most dazzling new building in America. Here's a look insideLondon-based architect Farshid Moussavi designed a new building open to all – and in the process, has created a gleaming new monument
-
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fountainhead will be opened to the public for the first timeThe home, a defining example of the architect’s vision for American design, has been acquired by the Mississippi Museum of Art, which will open it to the public, giving visitors the chance to experience Frank Lloyd Wright’s genius firsthand
-
Clad in terracotta, these new Williamsburg homes blend loft living and an organic feelThe Williamsburg homes inside 103 Grand Street, designed by Brooklyn-based architects Of Possible, bring together elegant interiors and dramatic outdoor space in a slick, stacked volume
