Luchini (third row, second from right) with WashU architecture faculty in Givens Hall, circa 1991.
(Opens in a modal)
2026-03-04 • Liam Otten
Obituary: Adrian Luchini, celebrated architect, 71
2026-03-04 • Liam Otten
Adrian Luchini, the Raymond E. Maritz Professor of Architecture Emeritus in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis, died Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, while visiting his native Argentina. He was 71.
One of St. Louis’ most distinguished practitioners, Luchini taught graduate-level courses in architectural theory and design, often emphasizing relationships between the two. He also was known for developing, teaching, and coordinating final degree projects and for directing graduate architecture and international programs.
Born and raised in Argentina, Luchini studied architecture at the Universidad Católica de Córdoba, where his mentors included renowned poet Osvaldo Pol. After graduating in 1979, Luchini spent a year practicing in Argentina and then enrolled at the University of Cincinnati, earning a master of science degree in architecture in 1983.
In 1985, Luchini earned a Master of Architecture from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design, where he studied with Frank Gehry, Daniel Libeskind, and Rafael Moneo. Luchini joined the WashU faculty later that year. Early works include residential projects with Harvard classmate Dirk Denison in Boston and Detroit. Luchini was named to Progressive Architecture’s prestigious “Young Architects” list in 1990.
In the early 1990s, Luchini and architect Tom Schwetye completed a string of St. Louis-area projects, including the Maritz-Starek residence in the Central West End, offices and production studios for ABC affiliate KDNL-TV, and renovations and a new exterior for the St. Louis Sixth Church of Christ, Scientist, which won the American Institute of Architects Design Excellence honors.
As senior designer with HOK from 1994-96, and as principal of architecture for Jacob’s Facilities (part of global engineering firm Sverdrup) from 1996-2001, Luchini worked on major projects in Argentina, China, the Philippines, and across the United States. Highlights include the Manila Cavite Coastal Reclamation development in the Philippines, the Orlando International Airport renovation in Florida, the Southeast Missouri State University Performing Arts Center in Cape Girardeau, Mo., and the multimodal Gateway Transportation Center in downtown St. Louis.
Luchini’s renovation of a barn in Godfrey, Illinois, won an AIA Honor Award in 2020. (Photo: Sam Fentress)
Light Blue House, which Luchini designed for a site in Punta del Este, Uruguay, won an AIA Honor Award in 2018. (Photo: Martin Irazoqui, Mirazoqui Estudio)
A home in St. Louis’ Tower Grove South neighborhood designed by Adrian Luchini.
Luchini designed a renovation for the Montessori Children’s House in Chesterfield, Mo. (Photo: Sam Fentress.)
Luchini launched his own practice, Luchini AD, in 2001 and was appointed the Maritz Professor the following year. Over the next decade, projects would range from the Montessori Children’s House in Chesterfield and Isabel House at Principia School to the Wentzville police station and the William L. Clay Early Childhood Center at Harris-Stowe State University.
At WashU, Luchini worked to advance the architecture program’s national reputation while sustaining and elevating a rigorous curriculum. In addition to directing graduate architecture and international programs, he encouraged studios to embrace a broader, more global perspective — ensuring that students engaged with design traditions, cultures, and ideas far beyond their own borders. He was named a professor emeritus in 2023 and retired in 2025.
Adrian Luchini, Corpus Christi, 2017. Tar, black pigment on felt, 83 × 64 in. Image courtesy Atrium Gallery.
Luchini with Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton at his installation as the Raymond E. Maritz Professor of Architecture, September 2002.
Over his 40-year career, Luchini received more than a dozen AIA awards, most recently for the Clay Education Center (2011), the Light Blue House in Uruguay (2018), and for a barn renovation in Godfrey, Ill. (2020). A monograph of his work was published in 2000 as part of the Contemporary World Architects series. Luchini was also a celebrated painter whose works have been exhibited throughout the United States and Latin America.
Beyond his passion for his work, Luchini took great pride in the family he created with Maria Magdalena Luchini, his wife of 43 years. He is survived by her, by children Magdalena Luchini Schleicher, Florencia Luchini Baxter, Maria Pia Luchini Morganstern, and Juan Andres Luchini, and by eight grandchildren – Sofia, Lucia, and Siena Schleicher; Eva, Isabel, and Magdalena Baxter; and Sebastian and Catalina Morganstern. A ninth grandchild is expected in April.
A funeral Mass will take place at noon March 28 in the WashU Catholic Student Center, 6352 Forsyth Blvd. A memorial service will follow at 1 p.m. in Anabeth and John Weil Hall, 1 Wrighton Way.
Luchini and his wife, Magdalena, at his 2025 retirement celebration in the Sam Fox School’s Kemper Art Museum. (Photo: Caitlin Custer/WashU.)
Luchini with his family. (Photo: courtesy the Luchini family.)
Luchini with his daughter. A cherished hobby was polo. (Photo: courtesy the Luchini family.)