César Pelli (born October 12, 1926) is an Argentine American architect known for designing some of the world's tallest buildings and other major urban landmarks. In 1991, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) listed Pelli among the ten most influential living American architects. His many awards include the 1995 AIA Gold Medal which recognizes a body of work of lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture. Perhaps his most famous work are the Petronas Twin Towers, which were for a time the world's tallest buildings. He also designed the World Financial Center complex in downtown Manhattan, next to the since-fallen World Trade Center.

Personal life
After studying architecture at the Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Pelli completed his studies at the School of Architecture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He started his career in the New Haven offices of architect Eero Saarinen.

He emigrated to the United States in 1952 and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1964. He married Diana Balmori, a renowned landscape and urban designer. They have two children: Denis, a neurobiologist and Professor of Psychology and Neural Science at New York University and Rafael, also a renowned architect.

Pelli served as dean of the School of Architecture at Yale University from 1977 to 1984. His firm employs about 100 architects, designers, and support staff in New Haven, Connecticut.

Awards and honors
On May 26, 2008, Yale University bestowed an honorary Doctor of Arts degree to Pelli for his work in Architecture.

He received the The Lynn S. Beedle Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat in 2008 to honor his work in the field of tall buildings.
 Career

Pelli and Mahathir Mohamad's Petronas Twin Tower, 1998

Pelli's Wells Fargo Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1989. Jon Davis

Bank of America Corporate Center, located in the center of uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, 1992

A view of the World Financial Center, and World Trade center from the Hudson River on August 26, 2000.

The Zurich tower, a 20-floor landmark office building in The Hague, Netherlands (1999)

BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Kurayoshi Park Square in Kurayoshi, Japan

Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood, California.

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, Florida.

Project Designer, Eero Saarinen

TWA Terminal Building, John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, New York

Morse College & Ezra Stiles College, Yale University
Director of Design, Daniel, Mann, Johnson & Mendenhall, Los Angeles, California

COMSAT Laboratories, in Clarksburg, Maryland, 1967-1968 (with landscape architect Lester Collins)

Partner for Design, Gruen Associates, Los Angeles, 1968–1976
Cesar Pelli & Associates, 1977 (currently known as Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects)

Completed
Other famous buildings he has designed include:
1966: Worldway Postal Center, Los Angeles International Airport, California
1967: Kukui Gardens housing, Honolulu, Hawaii
1969: San Bernardino City Hall, San Bernardino, California
1972: US Embassy in Tokyo, Japan
1973: Commons Centre and Mall, Columbus, Indiana-
1973: Eaton's Department Store, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
1975: Pacific Design Center, Los Angeles, California
1977: Wintergarden Arboretum, Niagara Falls, NY, USA (demolished in 2009)
1981-1987: World Financial Center, New York City, New York, USA
1982-1984: Herring Hall at Rice University, Houston, Texas
1984: Residential Tower atop the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York City, New York
1984-1986: Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
1984: Mattatuck Museum Arts and History Center renovation, Waterbury, Connecticut
1987: Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
1987-1990: Carnegie Hall Tower, New York City, New York, USA
1987-89: Maryland Residence, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
1987-1991: One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London, England, UK
1988: Wells Fargo Center (formerly Norwest Center), Minneapolis, Minnesota
1989: Gaviidae Common, Minneapolis, Minnesota
1990: Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan
1990: Roy Nutt Mathematics, Engineering & Computer Science Center at Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut
1990: 181 West Madison Street, Chicago, Illinois
A 50-story skyscraper thought to be inspired by Saarinen's second place entry in Chicago's Tribune Tower competition
1991: Key Tower, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
1991: 777 Tower, Los Angeles, California
1991: Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York
1992: Bank of America Corporate Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
1992: Plaza Tower, Costa Mesa, California
1994: Physics and Astronomy Building, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
1995: Aronoff Center for Performing Arts, Cincinnati, Ohio
1995: 100 North Main Street (formerly Wachovia Center), Winston-Salem, North Carolina
1996: Edificio República, Buenos Aires, Argentina
1996: Residencial del Bosque, Mexico City, Mexico
1996: Owens Corning World Headquarters, Toledo, Ohio, USA
1997: Expansion of Washington National Airport, Washington, D.C.
1998: Overture Center, Madison, Wisconsin
1998: Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
1998: Schuster Center, Dayton, Ohio, USA
1999: Cheung Kong Center (長江集團中心), Hong Kong
1999: Zurich tower office building in The Hague, Netherlands
2000: Kurayoshi Park Square, Kurayoshi, Japan
2000: Boston Bank Building, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2000: KABC-TV, Los Angeles, California
2001: Citigroup Centre, 25 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London
2001: Bucksbaum Center for the Arts at Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
2001: Athletic and Fitness Center at Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
2001: The Investment Building, Washington, DC
2002: JP MorganChase Building, San Francisco
2002: Weber Music Hall at University of Minnesota Duluth, Duluth, Minnesota
2002: Former Enron Headquarters at 1500 Louisiana Street, Houston, Texas
2003: Gerald Ratner Athletics Center at University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
2003: Two International Finance Centre, Hong Kong
2003: Center for Drama and Film & the Martel Theater at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, New York
2003: 25 Bank Street, Canary Wharf, Docklands, London
2003: 40 Bank Street, Canary Wharf, Docklands, London
2003: Benjamin & Mariam Schuster Performing Arts Center, Dayton, Ohio
2004: Goldman Sachs Tower, Jersey City, New Jersey
2005: Cira Centre, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2005: Malone Engineering Center, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
2006: Theodore Roosevelt Federal Building Eastern District Courthouse, Brooklyn, New York
2006: Science and Engineering Research and Classroom Complex at University of Houston, Houston, Texas
2006: Minneapolis Public Library's Central branch, Minneapolis, Minnesota
2006: Joe Rosenfield '25 Center, Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa
2006: Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Segerstrom Center For The Arts, Orange County Performing Arts Center, Costa Mesa, California
2006: Thomas E. Golden Jr. Center, St. Thomas More Catholic Chapel and Center, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
2006: Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami, Florida
2008: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
2008: One Park West, Liverpool, England
2008: Torre de Cristal, Madrid, Spain
2008: Repsol-YPF Building, Buenos Aires, Argentina
2008: St. Regis Residences & Hotel, Mexico City, Mexico
2008: Business Instructional Facility, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
2009: Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School, New Haven, Connecticut
2009: Connecticut Science Center, Hartford, Connecticut
2009: Aria Resort & Casino, the central feature of CityCenter, Las Vegas, Nevada
2011: New Airport Terminal Building (Phase 1), Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada