Italian
Passed away in Rome at 75, she navigated with rigor and sensitivity the realms of public and private architecture, restoration, and exhibitions. Among her works are the Temple of Isis, Palazzo Baldassini, and the chancelleries of the Italian embassies in Washington and Guatemala City.
Susanna Nobili, one of the most sensitive and versatile figures in contemporary Italian architecture, has died in Rome. She was 75 years old. A designer and educator, throughout her long career she worked in the fields of urban planning, public and private architecture, restoration, design, and exhibition setups, leaving works in Italy and abroad.
Graduated in Architecture in Rome in 1976, Nobili continued her education in Paris and Vienna. She began her career at the studio of Pier Luigi Nervi, one of the key figures in 20th-century engineering and architecture. From 1983 to 1992, she served as a councilor for the Triennale di Milano, while from 2008 she taught in the Master in Interior Design at IED, combining her profession with a constant commitment to training new generations.
His work has stood out for the ability to engage with different scales, languages, and contexts. In public architecture, there is the Chancellery of the Italian Embassy in Guatemala City and that of Washington, designed with Piero Sartogo. The latter received the “Award of Excellence for Extraordinary Achievement in Architecture” in 2000 and the Marble Architectural Award in 2003. Nobili also designed the setup of the Central Gallery of Palazzo Italia for the 1992 Expo in Seville.
Among the private architecture interventions, the central headquarters of the Banca di Roma in New York is noteworthy. Particularly significant was his work on the historical heritage of the capital, with projects that involved Palazzo Poli, the monumental complex of San Michele a Ripa, and Palazzo Baldassini.
Emblematic of his approach to restoration is the project for the Temple of Isis and Serapis in Campo Marzio, in the area of Piazza del Collegio Romano. An intervention based on respect for pre-existing structures, proportion, and the desire to make ancient stratifications legible. The project, entrusted to Studio Nobili, was developed together with Alfonso Rovere. Even in museum and exhibition setups, his attention to the visitor was evident: lighting, angles, supports, and observation devices became tools to bring the public closer to the works without overshadowing them.
Upon the news of her passing, condolences arrived from the Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli, who remembered Susanna Nobili as an architect of “great sensitivity and refined culture”, highlighting her expertise and professional rigor known during her years as president of MAXXI.
With Susanna Nobili, a professional capable of making ancient and contemporary dialogue without intrusive gestures disappears. Her work remains entrusted to the recovered buildings, the transformed public and private spaces, and the installations built around people’s experiences: an architecture attentive to memory, light, and the quality of living.
