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For the Mexican Olympic shooter, see Mario Pani (sport shooter).
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal family name is Pani and the second or maternal family name is Darqui.
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Mario Pani Darqui
Born (1911-03-29)March 29, 1911
Mexico City, Mexico
Died February 23, 1993(1993-02-23) (aged 81)
Mexico City, Mexico
Nationality Mexican
Alma mater École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, National Autonomous University of Mexico
Notable work
 University City of the UNAM, Mexico, Unidad Habitacional Nonoalco-Tlatelolco
Awards National Prize for Arts and Sciences (Mexico) (1986)

Mario Pani Darqui (March 29, 1911 – February 23, 1993) was a famous Mexican architect and city planner. He helped design many important buildings and areas in Mexico City. Some of his most famous works include the main campus of the UNAM university and the Unidad Habitacional Nonoalco-Tlatelolco housing complex. He also designed the Normal School of Teachers and the National Conservatory of Music. Mario Pani created many large housing projects known as multifamiliares. His son, Knut, is also a well-known artist.

Mario Pani's Career

Mario Pani was born in Mexico City. He studied architecture in both France and Mexico. In 1946, he helped start the National College of Architects in Mexico. He also began a journal called Arquitectura Mexico in 1938, which was published until 1979.

Pani brought the "international style" of architecture to Mexico. He was also the first to promote large apartment building projects. He was a big innovator in how Mexico City was designed. He helped create many new parts of the city. He was involved in some of the most important city development plans in Mexico during the 20th century. These plans included Ciudad Satélite, Tlatelolco, and the Juárez and Miguel Alemán apartment towers. He also designed the first condominium of its kind in Mexico, located on Paseo de la Reforma.

Key Architectural Works

Conservatorio Nacional de Música de México
National Conservatory of Music of Mexico

Mario Pani designed many important buildings and urban areas. Here are some of his notable works:

  • Hotel Reforma (on Paseo de la Reforma in Mexico City, built in 1936)
  • Escuela Nacional de Maestros (National School of Teachers in Mexico City, 1945)
  • National Conservatory of Music of Mexico (Mexico City, 1946)
  • Hotel Plaza (now the Secretariat of Urban Development and Housing)
  • Secretaria de Recursos Hidráulicos (Mexico City, 1946, now an Embassy Suites hotel)
  • Centro Urbano Presidente Alemán (a large housing complex in Mexico City, 1949)
  • Centro Urbano Presidente Juárez (Mexico City, 1950, partly damaged by an earthquake in 1985)
  • Ciudad Universitaria of the UNAM (1950–1953), based on a plan by student Teodoro Gonzalez de Leon
  • Ciudad Satélite (a planned community, 1956–1952)
  • Insurgentes 300 condominium (Colonia Roma, Mexico City, 1958)
  • Torre Insignia (a tall tower in Mexico City, 1962)
  • Unidad Habitacional Nonoalco-Tlatelolco (a large housing complex in Mexico City, 1964, also damaged in the 1985 earthquake)
  • Port of Entry in Nogales, Sonora
  • Reforma 268 (a condominium)
  • Condominium on Río Guadalquivir between Paseo de la Reforma and Río Volga, Colonia Cuauhtémoc

Awards and Tributes

Mario Pani received the National Prize for Arts and Sciences in the "fine arts" category in 1986. This is a very important award in Mexico.

On March 29, 2018, Google celebrated what would have been his 107th birthday with a special Google Doodle.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Mario Pani para niños

  • Modernist architecture in Mexico

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