āI was born in Genoa, a Mediterranean city, and this has influenced my life. Half of my city is water. Itās a large port and everything moves: ships and cranes float, and you have the ceaseless feeling that all things are in perpetual motionāRenzo Piano, Italian architect and engineer.
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About his life
Renzo Piano was born in Genoa in 1937 into a family of builders. He developed strong attachments with this historic city and port and with his fatherās profession. While studying at Politecnico of Milan University, he worked in the office of Franco Albini. After graduation in 1964, he started experimenting with light, mobile, temporary structures. Between 1965 and 1970, he went on a number of trips to discover Great Britain and the United States.In 1971, he set up the āPiano & Rogersā office in London together with Richard Rogers, with whom he won the competition for the Centre Pompidou.
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What are the characteristics of Renzo Pianoās Architecture ?
His high-tech design for the Centre Georges Pompidou (1971ā77) in Paris, made to look like an āurban machine,ā immediately gained the attention of the international architectural community.
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Colourful air ducts and elevators positioned on the buildingās exoskeleton created a vivid aesthetic impression, and the structureās playfulness challenged staid, institutional ideas of what a museum should be. From a functional stand point, the position of service elements such as elevators on the exterior allowed an open, flexible plan in the buildingās interior. While many complained that it did not fit the context of the historic neighbourhood, the Pompidou nonetheless helped bring about the revitalization of the area when it became an internationally renowned landmark.
Some of his famous works
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- Kansai International Airport (1991ā1994)
- Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre, Noumea, New Caledonia (1991ā98)
- Potsdamer Platz, Berlin (1992ā2000)
- Aurora Place, Sydney, Australia (1996ā2000)
- Auditorium Niccolo Paganini (1997ā2001)
- Maison HermĆØs (1998ā2001)
- Auditorium Parco della Musica (1994ā2002)
- Nasher Sculpture Center (1999ā2003)
- Zentrum Paul Klee (1999ā2005)
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- High Museum of Art Extension (1999ā2005)
- New York Times Building (2000ā2007)
- The Shard, London (2000ā2010)
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- Central Saint Giles, London (2002ā2010)
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- Los Angeles County Museum of Art (BCAM and Resnick Pavilion), Los Angeles (2003ā2010)
- Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo, Norway (2006ā2012)
- The Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, Massachusetts (2008ā2014)
- Whitney Museum of American Art, New York City (2007ā2015)
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