[ architects and designers ]

Piero Castiglioni

(If an entrepreneur is also a designer, and a designer slightly enterprising, then the resulting dialogue is much more efficient”)

Milanese designer.
Born in Lierna (Como) in 1944
He graduated in architecture in 1970 in Milan, where he lives and works, devoting most of his energies to lighting technology, designing luminaires and lighting systems for museums and both public and private settings.
In 1972, he took part in the “Italy: the new domestic landscape” show in the “Museum of Modern Art” of New York, together with Ugo La Pietra.
From 1973 to 1979, he worked with his father, Livio Castiglioni, to whom he owes his excellent training.
Since 1989, he has been running “Flare”, the four-monthly magazine dedicated to light.

Designer for Fontana Arte, Osram, Stilnovo and Venini, theatre consultant for problems of an electro-acoustic or lighting nature, he is the author of lighting systems for the Centre G. Pompidou in Paris (1985), Palazzo Grassi in Venice (1985) and, together with Gae Aulenti, for the Gare d’Orsay station in Paris (1986) and for the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro.
His collaboration with iGuzzini dates back to the setting up of the industrialisation process of the Cestello luminaire, developed together with Gae Aulenti.
In 1992, he conducted the design of the Italian Pavilion at the Expo world show in Seville, again in collaboration with Gae Aulenti.
In 1998, he was in charge of the lighting technology project of the Expo world show in Lisbon. Between 1999 and 2000, he worked together with Renzo Piano in the elaboration of the lighting technology project for the refurbishment of the Beaubourg.
During the course of the year 2000, on behalf of the municipality of Milan, he designed new lighting for a few areas of the city, such as the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Corso Vittorio Emanuele and Galleria del Corso.
In 2001, he designed and completed the lighting for the new Museum of Latin American Art in Buenos Aires, where the Costantini collection is housed.
For the realisation of all these projects, Piero Castiglioni used both the products and the lighting technology consultancy of iGuzzini technicians.

Among his many design projects, we cite the Parola lamp (1980) together with Gae Aulenti, the Edy (1982) and Scintilla (1983) systems, all for Fontana Arte.

After the industrialisation of the Cestello system, he has developed may other luminaires for iGuzzini.
In 1992, he designed Edge, the first light sliver projector in the iGuzzini production, for the Expo world fair in Seville.
In 1997, he collaborated with Mario Cucinella in the design of the Platea projector and developed the Radius projector, which makes use of a patented system for the light sliver luminous emission.
In 2001, Lightshed was placed on the market, a luminaire conceived especially for the main Loro Piana show room, and which went on to be industrialised.