Renzo Piano (b. 1937)

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Biography

Renzo Piano is an Italian architect. His notable works include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, The Shard in London (2012), Kansai International Airport in Osaka (1994), the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City (2015), Istanbul Museum of Modern Art in Istanbul (2022), Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens (2016) and The New York Times Building in New York City (2007). He was awarded the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1998.

Timeline

The story of Renzo Piano, told in moments.

1971 Event

Won the competition to design the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris with Richard Rogers. They were both unknown. The building turned its guts inside out. Pipes, ducts, escalators, all on the exterior.

What made you and Richard Rogers put the guts on the outside? How does an unknown architect win the Pompidou competition? Did Paris accept or reject your inside-out building?

1998 Event

Won the Pritzker Prize. He'd designed the Kansai International Airport on a man-made island in Osaka Bay. The terminal is over a mile long.

Was the Kansai Airport a mile-long terminal because you couldn't stop? Does the Pritzker Prize validate or just decorate? How do you design on a man-made island?

2012 Event

Completed the Shard in London. At 1,016 feet, it was the tallest building in Western Europe. He sketched the original concept on a restaurant napkin during a dinner with the developer.

Did you really sketch the Shard on a napkin? What does the tallest building in Western Europe mean to you? Is height about ambition or showing off?

2013 Life

Named a Senator for Life in Italy. He donates his Senate salary to a foundation that funds young architects in Genoa. He still works every day at his studio overlooking the harbor.

Why donate your Senate salary to young architects? Is working every day at your harbor studio happiness? What advice would you give a young architect in Genoa today?

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