Vittorio Gregotti (Novara, 1927), Lodovico Meneghetti (Novara, 1926) and Giotto Stoppino (Vigevano 1926 – Padua, 2011) worked together between 1953 and 1969 under the name of Architetti Associati, very quickly becoming key reference figures in the contemporary debate. Their work encompassed a range of areas, from architecture to furniture and design and they created important partnerships with SIM and Arteluce. They were initially associated with the much-discussed Neoliberty movement but, in reality, their work was largely a rejection of the final echoes of the so-called International Style.

Their architectural designs of this period include, in 1956, the residence for workers of the Bossi plant in Cameri-Novara. Their presence at the major shows of the period was always noteworthy: in 1954, at the X Triennale di Milano, they designed the furnishings for an "INA-casa home" and this was followed in 1960, for the XII Triennale, by a "rural home". In 1958 they took part in the “I Biennale of Furnishing Standards” in Mariano Comense.  In 1960 they played a lead role at the major "New designs for Italian furniture" exhibition at the “L’Osservatore delle Arti Industriali” gallery in Milan. In 1964 their design for the XIII Triennale di Milano, dedicated to "Free Time", made a name for itself and won the “Gran Premio” award. In 1965, they participated in the “La casa abitata” interior design biennial at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, curated by Michelucci and Spadolini, with their interpretation of a "Spatial transformation of the toilet". The “Architetti Associati” association disbanded in 1969 but Gregotti, Meneghetti and Stoppino continued to work freelance with significant results.