Rogério Renato Mateucci was killed last week at Taliesin West in Scottsdale after a large piece of clear roofing material blew off the roof and struck him in the head. Scottsdale police said the incident happened on Friday afternoon as Mateucci visited the Frank Lloyd Wright landmark.
Taliesin West in Scottsdale
Mateucci was a university rector from Brazil visiting Arizona State University as part of a group of Brazilian education leaders. He stopped at Taliesin West to admire its architecture, turning a brief visit into a fatal one.
Witnesses described strong wind at the site. One said, “Myself even kind of had a hard time keeping our balance with the wind,” and another said, “It was apparent that he had a head injury and there was blood surrounding his head area.”
Roofing Material and Wind
A former Taliesin West employee said the elements have definitely played a part in the structural safety of some of the buildings. He said he witnessed two other items breaking loose from the roof during his six months on the job, and he recorded one incident on camera. The video showed a similar piece of clear paneling rattling loose in the wind during a July monsoon.
The former employee also said, “I don’t think that there’s money that is being put and funneled into the proper channels to make sure that the building is safe.” That account adds a direct challenge to the image of Taliesin West as a carefully preserved landmark.
Mateucci Honored on Monday
On Monday, the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná held a gathering to honor Mateucci. Paulo Mussi Augusto, who worked alongside him for one decade, said, “He was a present friend, a present teacher, a present administrator,” and added, “He was always connecting with people and making people feel important and heard.”
Augusto also said, “Unfortunately, we lost him in a very sudden way that is unbelievable.” The unanswered issue is whether the roof material had been inspected or repaired before it tore off and killed Mateucci.
