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Renzo Piano

Historical Figure

Renzo Piano

b. 1937

Italian architect (born 1937)

Interwar & WWII

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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.

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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?

Artifacts (15)

Renzo Piano Building Workshop: Complete Works

One of the acclaimed of his most designers generation, Renzo Piano established his international reputation through his collaboration with Richard Rogers and Peter Rice on the Centre Pompidou in...

1993
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Logbook

Renzo Piano (Genoa, 1937) studied architecture at the Polytechnic in Milan. Since winning the competition to design the Centre Pompidou in Paris (1971) along with Richard Rogers, Piano has become a...

1997
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Arkitekturens V©Œrksteder

Over 20 years ago, architect Renzo Piano established his firm and dubbed it the Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW)--a name that recalls the art studios of the Renaissance, where the master artist...

2003
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On Tour with Renzo Piano

An intimate tour with Renzo Piano himself around his key buildings.

2004
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Renzo Piano Building Workshop: Visible Cities

This monograph focuses on Piano's most remarkable buildings, such as the Pompidou Centre in Paris, which he co-designed with Richard Rogers, and the Beyeler building in Switzerland. TRADE

2007
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Renzo Piano Museums

Creating space for the display of works of art has intrigued Renzo Piano throughout his thirty-five years of architectural practice. Today he is acknowledged the pre-eminent designer in this field,...

2007
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Menil: the Menil Collection

From the first idea to the opening day, the project is followed step-by-step through a long picture-report. Some sketches have been made especially for this book. The aim is to transmit the sense of...

2007
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Atlantis: A Journey in Search of Beauty

The renowned architect and his son sail from Genoa in search of Atlantis in this "intimate and insightful chronicle of exploration and revelation" ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review). Renowned architect...

2020
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Renzo Piano, Projects and Buildings, 1964-1983

1984
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Renzo Piano: The Process of Architecture

1987
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Renzo Piano Building Workshop: Exhibit Design

1992
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Renzo Piano Building Workshop: In Search of a Balance

1992
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Museum Beyeler

1998
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Renzo Piano--Fondation Beyeler: A Home for Art

2001
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Architecture & music

2002
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