Piano, Virtuoso. The Italian master’s complete oeuvre

Renzo Piano rose to international prominence with his co-design of the Pompidou Center in Paris, described by The New York Times as a building that “turned the architecture world upside down.” Since then, he has continued to craft such iconic cultural spaces as the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago and, more recently, the Whitney Museum of American Art, an asymmetric nine-story structure in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District with both indoor and outdoor galleries. In London, the Piano touch has also transformed the skyline with the Shard.

At the age of 84, the Italian maestro retains all of his enthusiasm and kindness—and his recent roster is more impressive than ever. As he confided to the author, “I think at a certain age, one can discover that there is what the French call the ‘fil rouge,’ a kind of red thread that relates one building to another over time. In my case, I believe it is about lightness and the art of building.” From freshly built museums in Athens and Santander; ongoing works in Lisbon, London, Toronto, and Geneva; to such humanitarian projects as the Emergency Children’s Surgical Hospital in Entebbe, Uganda, and the Children’s Hospice in Bologna, Italy, Piano’s career is a thrilling journey through the beauty and very essence of architecture.

Based on the massive XXL monograph, this widely updated edition brings the architect’s definitive career overview to an accessible format and is illustrated by photographs, sketches, and plans.

The artist:

Renzo Piano (born in 1937) studied at the University of Florence and at Milan’s Polytechnic Institute. A recipient of the RIBA Gold Medal in 1989 and the 1998 Pritzker Prize, Piano’s most iconic projects include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, the Shard in London, and the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. He has his main offices in his native Genoa and in Paris.

The editor:

Philip Jodidio studied art history and economics at Harvard, and edited Connaissance des Arts for over 20 years. His TASCHEN books include the Architecture Now! series and monographs on Tadao Ando, Santiago Calatrava, Renzo Piano, Jean Nouvel, Shigeru Ban, Richard Meier, Zaha Hadid, and soon Norman Foster.

While some architects have a signature style, Renzo Piano seeks to apply coherent ideas to extraordinarily different projects. His buildings impress as much for their individual impact as for their diversity of scale, material, and form. Piano rose to international prominence with his codesign of the Pompidou Center in Paris, described by The New York Times as a building that "turned the architecture world upside down." Since then, he has continued to craft many high-profile cultural spaces, including the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago; the Morgan Library Renovation and Expansion in New York; and, most recently, the Whitney Museum of American Art, an asymmetric nine-story structure in Manhattan's Meatpacking District with both indoor and outdoor galleries. 

In New York and London, the Renzo touch has also transformed the skyline with the towers of the New York Times Building and the Shard, the tallest building in the European Union. This essential introduction travels from Osaka, Japan, to Bern, Switzerland, and through many cities, structures, and islands in between, to explore the staggering scope of the Renzo Piano repertoire. 

From the "inside-out" Pompidou to the airy shells of the Tjibaou Cultural Center in Noumea, New Caledonia, this is a thrilling journey through the beauty of architecture, where, in Piano's own words, "each time, it is like life starting all over again."

About the series:

Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Architecture series features:

- an introduction to the life and work of the architect 
- the major works in chronological order
- information about the clients, architectural preconditions as well as construction problems and resolutions
- a list of all the selected works and a map indicating the locations of the best and most famous buildings
- approximately 120 illustrations (photographs, sketches, drafts, and plans)

A complete overview of one of the most ambitious urban projects by Italian architect Renzo Piano; a unique volume for all who are interested in architecture and urban landscape.

This volume is a close analysis of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, the revolutionary $600 million project designed by renowned architect Renzo Piano and donated by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation to the city of Athens for the construction of the National Library, Opera House, and a public park set in grounds covering 170,000 square meters. A truly urban design dedicated to the citizens of Athens that marks the recovery and revitalization of a derelict site on the edge of the inner city. A downloadable app for Apple and Android provides access to additional multimedia content, including virtual tours, drone videos, and photo galleries.

About the Author:

Federico Bucci is professor of History of Architecture at the Milan Polytechnic. He has been a member of the American Society of Architectural Historians and has curated several exhibitions on Italian architecture and published numerous books. Lorenzo Ciccarelli graduated in 2011 with a degree in Building Engineering and Architecture and since 2013 he has worked with the Renzo Piano Foundation.

A sumptuous portrait comprising texts and images of the prestigious complex 565 Broome Soho in New York, designed by the Renzo Piano firm.

This volume is dedicated to the 565 Broome Street skyscraper, the first residential building conceived by Renzo Piano and designed by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop in the city of New York. Developed by Bizzi & Partners, the double tower occupies a corner space in the SoHo district, close to the Hudson River.

Rich and fascinating iconography and a text by Federico Bucci and Carol Willis describe the design, the main features of the building, and how it relates to the city and the light that surrounds it in a unique way.

The photographic selection is divided into thematic chapters, starting from the representation of the building’s urban context and then illustrating the different parts of the project, the formal and structural characteristics of the towers, and the interiors. It also describes the contemporary artwork by Susumu Shingu that occupies the space between the towers.

About the Authors:

Federico Bucci is Full Professor of History of Architecture at the Polytechnic of Milan, where he is also Delegate of the Rector for Cultural Policies, Rector of the Mantua Pole, and head of the UNESCO Chair. Carol Willis is the founder, director, and curator of the Skyscraper Museum. She is also adjunct associate professor of Urban Studies at Columbia University.

The mechanics of lightness

The wide-ranging career of the Italian virtuoso

"The array of buildings by Renzo Piano is staggering in scope and comprehensive in the diversity of scale, material, and form. He is truly an architect whose sensibilities represent the widest range of this and earlier centuries." Such was the description of Renzo Piano given by the Pritzker Prize jury citation as they bestowed the prestigious award on him in 1998. Whereas some architects have a signature style, what sets Piano apart is that he seeks simply to apply a coherent set of ideas to new projects in extraordinarily different ways. "One of the great beauties of architecture is that each time, it is like life starting all over again," Piano says. "Like a movie director doing a love story, a Western, or a murder mystery, a new world confronts an architect with each project." This explains why it takes more than a superficial glance to recognize Piano’s fingerprints on such varied projects as the Pompidou Center in Paris, the Kansai Airport in Osaka, Japan, the Tjibaou Cultural Center in Nouméa, New Caledonia, the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern, Switzerland, The New York Times Building in New York, and his most recent structure, the London Bridge Tower, which will be upon completion the tallest building in Western Europe.

About the Series:
Every book in TASCHEN's Basic Architecture Series features:

• approximately 120 images, including photographs, sketches, drawings, and floor plans
• introductory essays exploring the architect's life and work, touching on family and background as well as collaborations with other architects
• the most important works presented in chronological order, with descriptions of client and/or architect wishes as well as construction problems and resolutions
• an appendix including a list of complete or selected works, biography, bibliography, and a map indicating the locations of the architect's most famous buildings

"The array of buildings by Renzo Piano is staggering in scope and comprehensive in the diversity of scale, material, and form. He is truly an architect whose sensibilities represent the widest range of this and earlier centuries." Such was the description of Renzo Piano given by the Pritzker Prize jury citation as they bestowed the prestigious award on him in 1998.Whereas some architects have a signature style, what sets Piano apart is that he seeks simply to apply a coherent set of ideas to new projects in extraordinarily different ways. "One of the great beauties of architecture is that each time, it is like life starting all over again," Piano says. "Like a movie director doing a love story, a Western, or a murder mystery, a new world confronts an architect with each project." This explains why it takes more than a superficial glance to recognize Piano's fingerprints on such varied projects as the Pompidou Center in Paris (1971-77), the Kansai airport in Osaka, Japan (1990-94), and the Tjibaou Cultural Center in Nouméa, New Caledonia (1993-98). This stunning monograph, illustrated by photographs, sketches, and plans, covers Piano's career to date.

The updated publication includes new photographs of projects completed since the previous edition, such as his The New York Times Building in New York, the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern, Switzerland, The Morgan Library in New York, as well as some sneak peeks at his current projects, including the 66-story London Bridge Tower, which is set to be Europe's tallest building.

Ein spektakulärer Überblick über die schönsten Museumsbauten des Pritzker-Preisträgers.

Pritzker-Preisträger Renzo Piano gilt als der führende Architekt für Museumsbauten, herausragende Kunstinstutionen weltweit haben ihm ihre Sammlungen anvertraut. 18 seiner Museumsentwürfe aus den letzten 35 Jahren stellt der großformatige Band anhand von atmosphärisch dichten Fotos und präzisen Architekturzeichnungen und Grundrissen vor.

Der Bogen spannt sich vom damals revolutionären Centre Pompidou (1977), bis hin zu noch nicht fertig gestellten Projekten, etwa dem Los Angeles County Museum of Art, dem Art Institute of Chicago (Eröffnung 2009) oder dem geplanten Museum für zeitgenössische Kunst in Sarajevo. Meilensteine der Museumsarchitektur werden ausführlich präsentiert: die Menil Collection in Houston, die Fondation Beyeler in Riehen bei Basel, das Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern, das Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas und die Erweiterung der Pierpoint Morgan Library in New York. Eine Einführung von Victoria Newhouse diskutiert zentrale Elemente von Pianos Ästhetik – natürliches Licht, Transparenz und die Piazza als öffentlicher Treffpunkt.

 

As Peter Buchanan has shown in the first three volumes of Renzo Piano’s complete works, he follows no fashions of form or theory, nor is he limited to a personal idiom. Instead he concerns himself with the specifics and potential of a particular situation and moment, meeting the challenges of the programme, pushing the limits of technology, but always responding sensitively to the topography or urban fabric of the building’s site. This fourth volume on Renzo Piano provides an illuminating study of the architect’s working method, in particular his regard for context, followed by a presentation of his projects from 1989 to 2000. These range from urban works such as the Potsdamer Platz masterplan in Berlin, a science museum in Amsterdam and high-rise towers in Rotterdam and Sydney, to the acclaimed Beyeler Foundation and the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre in New Caledonia, which exemplifies the architect’s sensitivity to site and local tradition, combining traditional materials and techniques with those from the cutting edge of technology.

As Peter Buchanan has shown in the first three volumes of Renzo Piano’s complete works, he follows no fashions of form or theory, nor is he limited to a personal idiom. Instead he concerns himself with the specifics and potential of a particular situation and moment, meeting the challenges of the programme, pushing the limits of technology, but always responding sensitively to the topography or urban fabric of the building’s site. This fourth volume on Renzo Piano provides an illuminating study of the architect’s working method, in particular his regard for context, followed by a presentation of his projects from 1989 to 2000. These range from urban works such as the Potsdamer Platz masterplan in Berlin, a science museum in Amsterdam and high-rise towers in Rotterdam and Sydney, to the acclaimed Beyeler Foundation and the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre in New Caledonia, which exemplifies the architect’s sensitivity to site and local tradition, combining traditional materials and techniques with those from the cutting edge of technology.

Volume 1 features numerous case studies including the Bari Sports Stadium in Italy and the first stages of the Kansai Airport International Terminal in Japan. Widely acclaimed on publication, the book includes an authoritative introductory essay as well as specially redrawn drawings and plans.

"The array of buildings by Renzo Piano is staggering in scope and comprehensive in the diversity of scale, material, and form. He is truly an architect whose sensibilities represent the widest range of this and earlier centuries." Such was the description of Renzo Piano given by the Pritzker Prize jury citation as they bestowed the prestigious award on him in 1998.

Whereas some architects have a signature style, what sets Piano apart is that he seeks simply to apply a coherent set of ideas to new projects in extraordinarily different ways. "One of the great beauties of architecture is that each time, it is like life starting all over again," Piano says. "Like a movie director doing a love story, a Western, or a murder mystery, a new world confronts an architect with each project." This explains why it takes more than a superficial glance to recognize Piano’s fingerprints on such varied projects as the Pompidou Center in Paris (1971-77), the Kansai airport in Osaka, Japan (1990-94), and the Tjibaou Cultural Center in Nouméa, New Caledonia (1993-1998).

This stunning monograph, illustrated by photographs, sketches, and plans, covers Piano’s career to date. Also included are sneak peeks at Piano’s current projects, including the New York Times Tower, a 52-story skyscraper to be built in Times Square, and the 80-story London Bridge Tower, which is set to be Europe’s tallest building.

Другие книги серии XL

Frank Lloyd Wright, Complete Works, Vol. 1, 1885–1916

Frank Lloyd Wright, Complete Works, Vol.2, 1917-1942

Frank Lloyd Wright, Complete Works, Vol.3, 1943-1959

Zaha Hadid, Complete Works 1979–2009

Santiago Calatrava. Complete Works 1979-2007

Ando. Complete Works, Updated Version 2010

Shigeru Ban, Complete Works 1985-2010

Jean Nouvel by Jean Nouvel, Complete Works 1970-2008

Микеланджело: Полное собрание произведений