Rudy Ricciotti was born in Algiers in 1952, and graduated from the Geneva Engineering School in 1974 and from the Marseille School of Architecture in 1980. In that same year he started his office. He received the National Grand Prize in Architecture in 2006 and has been made an 'Officier des Arts et des Lettres', a 'Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur' and an 'Officier de l'Ordre national du Merite', three orders established by the French Republic. The opening of the concert hall in Potsdam, and the construction of a footbridge in Seoul (2002), brought Ricciotti international recognition as well. He leads an international team of 29 people.