Rafael Calventi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rafael Calventi
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| Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to Germany |
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| In office 20 March 2009 – 19 August 2018 |
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| President | Leonel Fernández, Danilo Medina |
| Preceded by | Pedro Vergés |
| Succeeded by | Maybé Sánchez de Calventi |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Rafael Calventi Gaviño
18 March 1932 La Vega, Dominican Republic |
| Died | 19 August 2018 (aged 86) Berlin, Germany |
| Nationality | Dominican |
| Spouse | Maybé Sánchez Caminero |
| Children | 3 children and 4 stepchildren (including Jean Alain Rodríguez Sánchez) |
| Relatives | Idelisa Bonnelly (sister-in-law) Juan Bosch (cousin) Milagros Ortiz Bosch (cousin-niece) |
| Occupation | Architect, diplomat |
| Awards |
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Rafael Calventi Gaviño (born March 18, 1932 – died August 19, 2018) was an important person from the Dominican Republic. He was known as a talented architect and a skilled diplomat.
Early Life and Education
Rafael Calventi was born in La Vega, a city in the Dominican Republic. His parents, Juana Cintrón Gaviño and Arturo Calventi Suárez, had moved there from Puerto Rico. His mother's father was from Galicia, a region in Spain.
Calventi went to university in Italy, at the Sapienza University of Rome. There, he studied with a famous architect named Pier Luigi Nervi. Rafael earned a special degree called "Doctor of Architecture." This means he was highly educated in designing buildings.
After finishing his studies, he worked with other well-known architects. He learned from Marcel Breuer and I. M. Pei in New York City. He also worked with Pierre Dufau in Paris, France. People remember him as a key architect in the "modernist movement" in Latin America. This was a style of architecture that focused on new ideas and simple, clean designs.
Career in Architecture and Education
In 1962, Rafael Calventi started his own architecture business in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He quickly became known as a great designer and a teacher. He was part of a group of young architects who wanted to make things better.
He also joined the University Renewal Movement in 1965. This group included teachers, students, and staff from the University of Santo Domingo. They worked to update the university's rules and make it easier for more people to get a higher education. Because of their efforts, the School of Architecture was created. Rafael Calventi became its first director from 1966 to 1968. He taught classes on how to design buildings and the ideas behind architecture.
In 1972, he also helped start the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC). One of his most famous buildings is the main office for the Banco Central de la República Dominicana in Santo Domingo. He finished this building in 1978. It is an example of "Brutalism," a style that uses strong, raw materials like concrete.
Rafael Calventi also worked for the government. He helped plan cities and design buildings for the Ministry of Public Works. In 2005, he received a special award for all his work from the Dominican Chamber of Construction. He was also a member of important groups that looked after city planning and cultural history in the Dominican Republic. He was even a member of the French Academy of Architecture.
Diplomatic Service
In 1996, Rafael Calventi began a new career as a diplomat. A diplomat is someone who represents their country in other nations. He served as the Dominican Republic's ambassador to several countries. These included Italy, Mexico, Argentina, and finally, Germany.
While in Rome, Italy, he represented the Dominican government at important international organizations. These included the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). These groups work to help people around the world with food and farming.
He received important awards for his diplomatic work. In 2000, he was given the "Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Italy." In 2009, in Argentina, he received the "Order of the Liberator San Martin, Grand Cross." These awards are high honors given by other countries.
See also
In Spanish: Rafael Calventi para niños
