Ignazio Gardella Biography
Ignazio Mario Gardella (Milan, 30 March 1905 – Oleggio, 15 March 1999) was an Italian architect, engineer and designer. He was born into a family of engineers and architects of Genoese origin, whose forefather was the great-grandfather of the same name Ignazio Gardella senior. Although his original first name was Mario, Gardella chose to sign himself Ignazio at 18, in honor of his great-grandfather. From 1915 to 1923 he attended the Giovanni Berchet classical high school in Milan and became friends with his schoolmate Luchino Visconti, a future theater and film director. He graduated in engineering from the Polytechnic of Milan in 1928, while he subsequently obtained a degree in architecture from the IUAV, University Institute of Architecture of Venice, in 1949. During his university period he came into contact with the other young protagonists of the Milanese scene together with whom he active part in the creation of the Italian Modern Movement. The long professional activity, which began before graduating in the late twenties with his father Arnaldo Gardella, produced an enormous quantity of projects and creations, in particular some hospital and healthcare construction works commissioned by Teresio Borsalino, son of the founder of company of the same name and great-uncle of Aura Usuelli, wife of Ignazio Gardella since 1933. Among the first buildings was the Anti-Tubercular Dispensary of Alessandria (1934-38), considered one of the masterpieces of Italian rationalist architecture. Before the war there were also some important participations in architectural competitions, such as the one for the construction of the Casa del Fascio in Oleggio together with the architect Luigi Vietti.
