Mali Torriero, AIA — Principal Architect, with Gino Torriero and Alessandra Madriz

Mali has been a practicing architect for 25 years. She earned her Bachelor of Architecture from Virginia Tech and upon graduation she moved to Pittsburgh, PA. She then received her license in 2011 and started Luca Construction and Design soon after, the practice that is now Luca Architecture.

Mali loves the integration of design and construction and appreciates each phase of the process. She heads to the construction sites on a regular basis and enjoys working directly with the contractors. Periodically throughout her career she has worked as a construction project manager with her family company.

Mali has always believed in trying to be a good steward of our environment. It started out with integrating basic passive design principles into each project — solar orientation, utilizing cross ventilation, etc. She then became acquainted with Passive House and became a certified Passive House Designer in 2016.

Several years ago, Mali and her family started to spend more time in Florida and decided to expand her work and practice to the Southwest Florida region. She spent several years working with a local architect and enjoyed the new challenges in a new environment and new construction methods.

She recently also received her license in South Carolina and is looking forward to practicing more there.

Mali is a registered architect in Florida (license AR102537), Pennsylvania and South Carolina, and also a Florida licensed interior designer (license ID7235), so the practice can carry a project from the building through to its interiors under one license.

Gino brings more than three decades of construction industry leadership, and oversees business development, client relations and operations at Nello Build, the general contracting firm that works alongside Luca Architecture. He is a Florida certified general contractor, license CGC1536213. His career spans the full lifecycle of the built environment, from pre-construction and general contracting to commercial real estate advisory and project delivery.

He served as CEO of Nello Construction Company, the Pittsburgh-based commercial general contractor founded in 1952. Under his leadership the firm grew to ENR-ranked status with annual revenues exceeding $67 million, delivering complex commercial projects across the Mid-Atlantic region.

That background brings an understanding of what makes a design buildable and budget-conscious, and of the permitting, code compliance and contractor coordination that decide whether a project lands on time.

Alessandra Madriz earned her Master of Architecture from Florida International University in 2021. Upon graduation, she moved to Naples, Florida, where she began her career working primarily in custom residential design, while also gaining experience on commercial projects.

Over the years, she has gained experience in all phases of the design process, from early conceptual design and architectural visualization through construction documentation and coordination. She enjoys developing the details of a project and seeing how the initial design vision carries through to completion. Working in Southwest Florida has given Alessandra an appreciation for architecture that responds to its climate and surroundings, particularly the relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces. She enjoys creating thoughtful spaces that balance functionality with a strong design vision.

Alessandra is currently pursuing architectural licensure and looks forward to continuing to grow her experience in residential and commercial projects.