Franco Albini (Robbiate, Como, 1905 - Milan 1977)

Graduated from Milan Polytechnic in 1929 and began his professional career in 1930. He was active in the field of furniture and exhibition design for the Milan Triennale and the Trade Fair, while together with Renato Camus and Giancarlo Palanti he created the “Fabio Filzi” (1936-38), “Gabriele D’Annunzio” and “Ettore Ponti” (1939) popular housing developments in Milan that were consistent with the themes and typological preferences typical of the Rationalist avant-garde. In the field of industrial design Albini was responsible, among other projects, for a radio receiver in metal and Securit glass (1938) and the “Veliero” bookshelf with a tensile structure in wood and steel cables (1940). In the post-war period he contributed to the renewal of Italian museography with the Palazzo Bianco (1949-51), Palazzo Rosso (1952-62) and Treasury of San Lorenzo (1952-56) museums in Genoa and tackled the theme of architecture in natural and urban contexts with Pirovano hotel-refuge in Cervinia (1948-52) and the INA office building in Parma (1952-54). Together with Franca Helg, an associate with his studio from 1952, he built the Rinascente department store in Rome (1957-1961), the Milan metro stations (1962-1969) and the SNAM office building in San Donato Milanese (1969-72). From 1949 he taught interior architecture at the University Institute of Architecture in Venice and from 1965 Architectural Composition at Milan Polytechnic

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