Architect · Italy · born 1937
Renzo Piano Biography, Buildings and Best Books
Italian architect (born 1937) whose light, precisely engineered buildings combine technology and craft, from the Centre Pompidou to the Whitney Museum and The Shard.
Photo: Cirone-Musi, Festival della Scienza, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Biography
Renzo Piano (born 1937) is an Italian architect whose buildings unite advanced engineering with a craftsman’s attention to light, materials and detail. From the Centre Pompidou in Paris to museums across the United States and The Shard in London, his Renzo Piano Building Workshop has produced some of the most admired public buildings of the last fifty years.
A Family of Builders
Born in Genoa into a family of builders, Piano studied at the Politecnico di Milano, graduating in 1964, and experimented with lightweight structures before working with Louis Kahn in Philadelphia and with the engineer Z. S. Makowski in London.
The Centre Pompidou
With Richard Rogers he won the 1971 competition for the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Completed in 1977, its exposed structure, services and escalators turned a cultural center inside out and launched both architects internationally. In 1981 Piano founded the Renzo Piano Building Workshop, with offices in Genoa and Paris.
Museums and Light
Piano became one of the great museum architects of his time. The Menil Collection in Houston (1987) and the Fondation Beyeler near Basel (1997) refined natural overhead light to serve art, an approach continued at the Morgan Library, the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.
Recognition
Piano received the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1998 and was appointed senator for life in Italy in 2013. His other major works include Kansai International Airport, the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre in New Caledonia, The Shard in London and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens.
Piano: Complete Works 1966-Today
Philip Jodidio’s 704-page TASCHEN monograph, prepared with the Renzo Piano Building Workshop, covers every major project from the Centre Pompidou to the most recent museums and towers.
View on AmazonLooking for a shorter introduction? Piano, TASCHEN Basic Art Series (96 pages).
Timeline
- 1937Born on 14 September in Genoa.
- 1964Graduates in architecture from the Politecnico di Milano.
- 1971Wins the competition for the Centre Georges Pompidou with Richard Rogers.
- 1977The Centre Pompidou opens in Paris.
- 1981Founds the Renzo Piano Building Workshop.
- 1987Completes the Menil Collection in Houston.
- 1994Completes Kansai International Airport in Osaka.
- 1997Completes the Fondation Beyeler near Basel.
- 1998Receives the Pritzker Architecture Prize and completes the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre in Nouméa.
- 2007Completes The New York Times Building.
- 2009Completes the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago.
- 2012The Shard opens in London.
- 2013Is appointed senator for life in Italy.
- 2015The Whitney Museum of American Art opens in New York.
- 2016Completes the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens.
- 2021The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opens in Los Angeles.
Best Books on Renzo Piano
As an Amazon Associate, ArchEyes earns from qualifying purchases. Book links open on Amazon.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Renzo Piano known for?
Renzo Piano is known for light, technically refined buildings that combine engineering and craft, from the Centre Pompidou, designed with Richard Rogers, to museums celebrated for their natural light. He received the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1998.
What are Renzo Piano’s most famous buildings?
His most celebrated works include the Centre Pompidou in Paris (1977), the Menil Collection in Houston (1987), Kansai International Airport (1994), the Fondation Beyeler (1997), the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre (1998), The Shard in London (2012) and the Whitney Museum of American Art (2015).
What is the best book about Renzo Piano?
For a complete overview we recommend Piano: Complete Works 1966-Today by Philip Jodidio (TASCHEN). For a short introduction, choose Piano from the TASCHEN Basic Art series, and for his own account, Renzo Piano: The Complete Logbook.
What architectural style is Renzo Piano?
Piano is associated with high-tech architecture through the Centre Pompidou, but his later work is better described as a refined, light-filled modernism that adapts structure and materials to each site.
Where can you visit Renzo Piano’s buildings?
The Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Fondation Beyeler near Basel, the Menil Collection in Houston, the Whitney Museum in New York, the Academy Museum in Los Angeles, The Shard in London and the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens are all open to visitors.
