Born in 1954, Claudio Silvestrin studied in Milan and then moved to the Architectural Association in London. From 1986 to 1988, he worked with John Pawson at the associated firm Pawson Silvestrin Architects, and in 1989 he founded Claudio Silvestrin Architects, with offices first in London and then in Milan since 2006. Considered to be one of the masters of contemporary minimalism, his firm’s projects range from large real estate complexes, homes and resorts for private use, art galleries and museums, restaurants, and furniture design. Particularly prized for its serene atmospheres and simple, absolute forms, the studio boasts clients including Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein, Giada, Anish Kapoor, Victoria Miro, Fondazione Sandretto Re-Rebaudengo, YTL Singopore, Illy Coffee, Princi, Rainer Becker of Zuma, and internationally renowned hip hop artist and producer Kanye West, with whom he has had an ongoing creative partnership for more than 20 years. His recent large-scale project of a 40,000-square-meter fashion mall in Turin is currently being in the process of being extended to a total area of 60,000 sqm. Claudio Silvestrin is currently engaged in planning the architecture and design of the 50,000 m2 Bering Terminal Airport in Kamchatka, which includes the Okotan Hotel, expected to be completed by 2025.