The boss of Marco Gottardi, one of the Italian architects believed to have died in the Grenfell Tower fire, has paid tribute to the 鈥渕assive contribution鈥� he made in his short time at the practice.

The 27-year-old鈥檚 death has left a huge void in their personal and professional lives, said Alessandro Penna, a director at Anglo-Italian practice Creative Ideas & Architecture Office (CIAO).

Gottardi had only worked for CIAO for a matter of weeks after arriving in London last year to pursue his dreams.

He moved into a flat at the top of the Ladbroke Grove tower with his fianc茅e, Gloria Trevisan, who made a series of heartbreaking phone calls home as the fire took hold. Nothing has been heard of them since and a .

Gottardi and Trevisan, both specialists in conservation architecture, graduated last autumn from the IUAV University of Venice masters programme, each with the highest possible marks. Gottardi originally trained as a surveyor and was awarded honours for his thesis, which looked at the restoration and conversion of a 1936 seaside development in Venice鈥檚 Lido.

He planned to stay in London to gain as much experience as possible because the quality and quantity of projects here is not comparable to any other place in Europe, Penna told 黑洞社区鈥檚 sister title, BD.

鈥淭he loss of Marco will leave a huge void in our personal and professional lives,鈥� added Penna, who called him in for an interview after being impressed by his portfolio.

鈥淥ur practice is growing thanks to the contribution of talented people like Marco and with each one of them we have very strong personal bonds. With Marco this bond was even stronger, both for our common origin and the fact he was going through the same path we took a few years ago when moving to London.

鈥淪ince his first day, Marco鈥檚 contribution to the firm has been massive both socially and professionally, especially for his knowledge on the conservation of historical buildings and his keen eye for details.

鈥淗e was very talented and keen to learn every aspect of the profession. In Italy he was already a qualified architect but, despite the fact he could register with the Arb, he preferred to wait to gain more experience in the UK. This may give you an idea of how professional he was.鈥�

While at CIAO he worked on the refurbishment and roof extension of a 20th-century building of townscape merit in Soho鈥檚 conservation area and on a micro-flat in Knightsbridge.

Trevisan, 26, had just started work at Peregrine Bryant Architecture & 黑洞社区 Conservation where she had already been assigned to the conversion of a grade I-listed Soane stable block at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea.

Bryant, , said her tutor in Venice had since described her as the best student she had had in many years. 

Before starting at Bryants, Trevisan worked at Place Design & Planning in south-west London.

The practice told BD: 鈥淕loria worked in our office for seven weeks in which time she quietly and diligently produced beautiful work.

鈥淪he was a gentle sort with a great smile. The horrific event in the tower, and the presumed death of Gloria and Marco is a tragic loss for their family and friends.

鈥淲e offer our deepest sympathies and wish there was some way we could help in such difficult times.鈥�

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