Umberto Riva was born in 1928 in Milan, where he continues to live and work today. He received his degree in architecture in Venice in 1959.
Since the 1960s, Umberto has interpreted and given new shape to contemporary ways of living while purposefully maintaining a marginalized position in the field of architecture.
As a designer, Umberto has worked on every scale, from urban spaces to buildings, from landscape architecture to interiors, from installations to product design. In 1998 he was named a fellow of the Accademia di San Luca, and in 2003 he won the gold medal for architecture from the Triennale di Milano.