The Italian Architect, Renzo piano, was born in Genoa in 1937. His style of design revolves around modern design and technology which is seen in most of his prestigious projects. The works of Renzo Piano has a spectrum of projects ranging from Museums to libraries to residential designs.
The Pritzker award-winning Architect who has worked with Louis Kahn and later designed notable structures under his own practice does not follow a particular pattern to look at buildings as he explains his projects as a perfect solution to an Architectural brief. His building does not follow a pattern but creates one! There is an unusual combination of materials, their properties and their execution which create interesting pieces of art in itself.
Here are the top 5 projects by Architect Renzo Piano that inspire the world of Architecture and design:
The Shard, London
Year of completion: 2012
The 95-story skyscraper was designed as a redevelopment of 24-storied Southwark tower in London. After a series of documentation and planning, the idea of a building tapering towards its top and cladded with glass was finally accepted to change the skyline of London.
As the name suggests, the building replicates a Shard of glass breaking through the ground and creating an image in contrast to the existing works of Architecture in London.
This multi-use building houses offices, hotels, observatory, and apartments.
Centre Pompidou, Paris
Year of completion: 1977
The Centre Pompidou is a mixed-use cultural complex which was designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers. It houses the Museum of Modern Arts, public Library and a center for music and acoustic research. The current building was the entry of the design competition and was approved out of more than 600 entries.
The exposed services and structural system Design was one of a kind feature to have been opted by any Architectural project at the time. Aesthetically, the building was not very welcomed in the city of Paris but became a renowned attraction once people recognized its high technological authenticity. This building changed the definition of beauty for typical museum buildings across all existing built models and established a sense of curiosity amongst the visitors.
Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre
Year of completion: 1998
The Cultural Centre is of prime importance for the Kanak history and culture and is designed by Piano to merge the values and system of the people of New Caledonia with Architectural form. Externally, the 10 pavilions replicate the traditional huts of the region built with natural and locally found materials.
The design may seem fluid on the outside but has geometrical planning across all its cases. The exhibitions and displays switch temporarily within these premises surrounded by landscaping all around.
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
Year of completion: 2015
The project done in collaboration with Cooper Robertson reflects a more brutalist style of design than modern. The tinted grey steel facades with grooved surfaces clad the entire building into a composed form.
The main attraction of the design is the intelligent use of every corner into the Museum to maximize its display space. There are a series of terraces stepping upwards and allowing a view of the adjacent Hudson River.
Stavros Niarchos foundation cultural center, Greece
Year of completion: 2016
Renzo Piano was selected as the Architect for the cultural center design which was initially a huge open area to be transformed into a world-class cultural center. Piano raised the entire building complex by constructing an artificial hill that will allow people to catch a glimpse of the sea.
The most striking feature of this complex is the huge white roof canopy that is balanced over the opera house like an umbrella. The project is a LEED platinum rated design still mesmerizing people all over the world.
Other projects like the High Museum of Art (Georgia), New York Times Building, Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art (Norway), One Sydney Harbour tower (Australia) are some exceptional works of the master Architect.
All of his designs vary in shape, form, and style of Architectural design, still creating an impact that makes his projects masterpieces crafted with thought, technology, and creativity. Renzo piano designs inspire the world to look far beyond the language of study of the subject by merging contrasting factors of materials, forms and textures providing the best solution to the design brief.
