BBPR was an architectural partnership founded in Milan, Italy in 1932. It was founded by Gian Luigi Banfi (Milano, 1910 - Gusen, 1945), Lodovico Barbiano di Belgiojoso (Milano, 1909 - Milano 2004), Enrico Peressutti (Pinzano al Tagliamento, 1908 - Milano 1976), Ernesto Nathan Rogers (Trieste, 1909 - Gardone, 1969). The first letter of the family names made up the acronym "BBPR".
All four architects were graduates of the Polytechnic of Milan. In their early work the themes of Italian rationalism of the thirties. The were opposed to fascism believing that it severely limits the freedom of expression sought after by the Modernist movement. This stand led to the escape of Rogers to Switzerland during the war. Banfi to took an active part in the Resistance died in the extermination camp in 1945. Belgiojoso managed to survive. These experiences strongly influenced BBPR their work during their entire career The emblematic monument to the dead in German camps in the Cemetery of Milan (1946) became their first major noted project. Other memorials for concentration camp victims followed.
In 1951, BBPR was entrusted with the preparation of the IX Triennale in Milan. They hosted the exhibition titled "forma" which starting point for the focus on industrial design in Italy.
With the creation of the Torre Velasca in Milan in 1954, BBPR reacted against the polemic of the International Style, by enriching it with abstract medieval references. The tower responds to its prominent location near the Milan Cathedral in the city's historic center.
The firm was subsequently employed to create new interior spaces and exhibition designs for the museums housed within Milan's Castello Sforzesco which had been severely damaged by allied bombing in 1943.
Lodovico Barbiano di Belgiojoso continued to produce work under the name of BBPR until the 1990s.
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