Bruno Gecchelin Biography
Bruno Gecchelin (Milan, 25 September 1939) is an Italian designer and architect. Bruno Gecchelin was born in Milan in 1939. In 1962 he developed studies and research on gas cookers and compact refrigerators for Indesit and began designing furnishing elements for Gruppo Industriale Busnelli. In the same period he joined the Olivetti design office in Ivrea, directed by Ettore Sottsass and based in Milan. He remained there for about fifteen years designing machines and electronic terminals as well as office furniture. In 1976 he became a freelancer and after graduating in architecture at the Polytechnic of Milan he opened his own studio and began collaborating with numerous companies. Product design expands to different areas. Designs a series of car accessories for the Fiat Panda; he designs upholstered furniture and seating for Poltrona Frau and office furniture for Ycami. With Fratelli Guzzini he created a complete line of kitchen tools and household items made of thermoplastic material and expanded the range of gift items in precious materials by Rede Guzzini. He also dedicates himself to bathroom furnishings, designing accessories and complements in thermosetting material for Metaform. Designs an integrated and modular system, functional to the Japanese market, for Matsushita's bathroom division. He also designed several lines of air conditioning elements for Aermec and Kelvin Italy. During his career, his passion for technology led him to specialize in the design of lighting fixtures for which he also took care of the lighting engineering part. There are more than one hundred lamps designed in over forty years of activity which alternate decorative or office models with technical products for commercial, museum and urban lighting. The main companies with which he has collaborated are O-Luce, Skipper, Arteluce-Flos, Antonangeli, Venini, Matsushita, Tronconi, iGuzzini Illuminazione, Ivela, Raat and Reggiani Illuminazione. Various international awards including BIO Ljubljana, IF product design award in Hannover and three Compasso d'Oro awards: the first in 1989 for the series of Shuttle commercials produced by IGuzzini Illuminazione, the second in 1991 for the AGH 171 New heat pump produced Aermec-Riello and the third in 2004 for the Latina citrus juicer by Fratelli Guzzini. In addition to his design activity, he has taught at the IED Istituto Europeo di Design in Milan, at the Polytechnic of Milan and at the Accademia di Brera in Milan. Since 1996 he has also dedicated himself to painting and graphic works on canvas.
