Architect Carlos Ott, MArch/MUD72, will deliver the annual Fumihiko Maki Lecture, titled WORK IN PROGRESS. Ott has 40 years of experience designing and directing large-scale projects in the fields of architecture and urban planning.
Born in Montivideo, Uruguay, Ott graduated from the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Uruguay and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 1971, which allowed him to study at the University of Hawaii. He went on to earn a Master of Architecture and Master of Urban Design from Washington University in 1972.
After serving as vice president in charge of development for the Toronto-based real estate company Cadillac Fairview from 1969-1973, Ott joined the firm NORR Partnership in Toronto as a design partner in 1983. That same year, he won the International Competition for the Opera de la Bastille in Paris, to commemorate the Bicentennial Anniversary of the French Revolution. Following that accomplishment, he launched his architectural firm, Carlos Ott Architect, in Paris, and went on to open additional offices in Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Canada, China, and Uruguay.
Carlos Ott Architect has recently completed or begun construction on projects in France, Germany, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Panama, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Brazil, the United States, the Philippines, Venezuela, and Uruguay. Award-winning projects include the Calgary Courts Centre, the Boca Juniors Hotel in Buenos Aires, Artech Residences in Florida, and Playa Vik in Uruguay (designed in collaboration with Edgar Baruzze).
Ott has received numerous international honors for his work, including the Arts et Lettres and the Legion d’Honneur, awarded in 1986 and 1988, respectively, by Francois Mitterand, the president of France; the Gold Medal from the Faculty of Architecture in Uruguay; a Distinguished Alumni Award from Washington University in 1997; and the Vitruvio Award from the Museo de Bellas Artes in Buenos Aires in 1997.
