Renzo Piano, an Italian Architect was
born on the 14th September of 1937 in Genoa,
Italy, in a family of builders. He was educated and taught at the Politecnico di Milano. In 1964, after he finished his studies, he
graduated from the University and started working with experimental lightweight
structures and basic housings.
Later on, starting from 1965 until 1970, his work was attributed to
the work done with Louis Kahn .
He also worked together with Richard Rogers from 1971 to 1977, and further work was also done with the Italian architect Gianfranco Franchini including
the Centre Georges
Pompidou in Paris. Together with these architects, he was also connected to the engineer Peter Rice,
with whom he shared a practice in the late 1070’s.
It was however not prior to 1981 that he had created the Renzo Piano
Building Workshop, which is still in operation today and it still employs about
150 people and upholds offices in Paris, Genoa ,
and New York City.
Moreover, in 1994, Renzo Piano was the winner of the international competition
for the new Auditorium in Rome.
The Auditorium Parco della Musica, comprises of a huge multi-functional
communal music compound which is situated in the north of city and was launched
in 2002.
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| Jelly Piano |
In accordance to brand and product design, furthermore, Piano is
attributed to the design of a watch in collaboration for the Swatch Summer
Collection. This watch was given the name ‘Jelly Piano (Gz 159)’. The design of
this prduct features a clear and visible inner workings. This design was
influenced by his Centre Georges
Pompidou design.
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| Vulcano Biano |
Furthermore, this project may seem to be able to come to life, and
this could be achieved by a set of solid circles, each having a different
slope, and these combine to be able to form a cone imitating the look of
Vesuvius. Looking at the complex from the outside, it is almost hidden as
architectural work, and this is attributed to the concrete roofs, which are
covered with soil and low vegetation. This gives the illusion that the complex blends
in with its surroundings, effectively hiding the fact that it is a structure.
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| The Shard |
Renzo Piano’s current projects involve the The Shard,
Europe's tallest
skyscraper which was opened on July 6, 2012, and the
Centro de Arte Botín. Another provocative project that is almost finished is
the Valletta City Gate in Malta
 |
| Valletta Parliament in construction |
The
design of a new parliament building incorporates Piano’s scheme, which its
purposes are allotted to consistency and refinement. However this project has
been criticized for the dependable protection of ruins. The remains of Edward
Middleton Barry’s neoclassical design for the Opera House is supposed to be
preserved with a curtain made out of steel poles and lucid screens. At the same
time the parliament building will be dressed in 7000 extracted angled blocks.
Nicolai Ouroussoff;
an architecture critic said that Piano's works illustrate "...serenity of
his best buildings can almost make you believe that we live in a civilized
world."
Furthermore, it was in 2006 that he was nominated by Time magazine
as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Furthermore he was also
selected as the 10th most influential person in the "Arts and
Entertainment" category of the 2006 Time 100.
Bibliography:
Design
Boom Architectre. Renzo Piano. [Online]
Available at:
http://www.designboom.com/architecture/renzo-piano-valletta-city-gate-and-parliament-well-underway/ [Accessed on 12th
January 2014]
Wikipedia. Renzo Piano. [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renzo_Piano [Accessed on 12th January
2014]
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