He was born in Robbiate in the province of Lecco in 1905, studied architecture in Milan at the polytechnic, graduating in 1929. He immediately collaborated with the Ponti e Lancia studio, and here he probably had some of his first international contacts, such as Le Corbusier and Mies van der Rohe . In his first professional phase he dealt with urban planning, with his partners Renato Camus and Giancarlo Palanti, they participated in the competition for the Baracca neighborhood in San Siro, and later created the Fabio Filzi and D'annunzio/Ponti neighborhoods for the Ifacp. In the 1930s and 1940s Albini took part in the V Milan Triennale in 1933, setting up the house with a steel structure, and at the following one he took care of the setting up of the house, with three types of accommodation. His best-known projects are the Genoese Museums, the Pirovano refuge in Cervinia, line 1 of the Milan metro and various private homes.
In the field of design, Albini collaborated mainly with the Poggi company of Pavia for the furnishings, and with Sirrah of Gavina for the lighting. Poggi, despite being isolated from the Brianza wood district, was an excellence in know-how, always maintaining attention to detail and an artisanal dimension, which emerges in his production. Roberto Poggi met Albini thanks to his passion for high altitude mountaineering and through a mutual friend, Giuseppe Pirovano. Between '48 and '52 they created the furnishings for the Pirovano refuge. They had a mutual exclusivity agreement, and the most iconic pieces, such as the LB7 bookcase, the trestle table or the "Luisa" armchair that can be glimpsed in the catalog in the photo, were produced by Poggi. In lighting he mainly designed the AM/AS series for Sirrah. The particular attachment of the lampshades allows for great versatility, with two floor structures, two table ones and various wall and ceiling ones, many combinations could be obtained.
Today many of Albini's designs have been reissued by important current brands: Cassina produces the Luisa armchair, the LB7 bookcase and also the Veliero bookcase. Nemo lighting partially produces the AM/AS series. An anecdote about the Veliero bookcase, the prototype in Albini's house, which he gave to Poggi on his deathbed.
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