Renzo Piano Building Workshop

The Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW) was established in 1981 by Renzo Piano with offices in Genoa, Italy and Paris, France. The Workshop has since expanded and now also operates from New York.

The Workshop permanently employs about 100 architects together with a further 30 support staff including CAD operators, model makers, archivers, administrative and secretarial staff.

Our architects are of many nationalities and each is selected for his or her experience, enthusiasm and calibre.

Our staff has a wide experience of working in multi-disciplinary teams on building projects in France, Italy and abroad.

As architects, we usually provide full architectural design services and consultancy services during the construction phase. Our design skills also include interior design services, town planning and urban design services, landscape design services and exhibition design services.

The firm is licensed to practice architecture in France. Renzo Piano personally is registered as an architect in France and Italy.

The Workshop has successfully undertaken and completed projects around the world.

Currently, the main projects in progress are: the new Whitney Museum and Columbia University’s Manhattanville development project in New York City, the Stavros Niarchos Cultural Center in Athens; the Valletta City Gate in Malta, the Paris Courthouse in Paris and the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Los Angeles.

Major projects already completed by RPBW include: the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris; the Beyeler Foundation Museum in Basel; the Rome Auditorium; the reconstruction of the Potsdamer Platz area in Berlin; the Menil Collection in Houston, Texas; the New York Times Building in New York; the Kansaï International Airport Terminal Building in Osaka; the Kanak Cultural Center in Nouméa, New Caledonia; the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco; the Chicago Art Institute expansion in Chicago, Illinois; the London Bridge Tower in London; the Kimbell Art Museum expansion, the Harvard museums in Cambridge , Massachusetts, the Valletta City Gate in Malta , Italy, the Intesa Sanpaolo office building in Turin, Italy the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and others throughout the world.

Exhibitions of Renzo Piano and the Building Workshop’s works have been held in many cities worldwide, including major retrospectives exhibition in 2000 at the Centre Pompidou in Paris and at the Neue National Galerie in Berlin, in 2007 at the Milan Triennale, in 2014 at Palazzo della Ragione in Padua and in 2015 at the Power Station of Art in Shanghai, China and in September 2015 at the Cité de l’Architecture in Paris.

Biography

Renzo Piano was born into a family of builders in Genoa, in 1937.

He graduated from Politecnico di Milano in 1964, and during his studies he worked with Franco Albini. He has collaborated with Richard Rogers from 1971 (Piano and Rogers), and with Peter Rice from 1977 (Atelier Piano & Rice).

In 1981, he established “Renzo Piano Building Workshop”, which currently employs 150 staff and has offices in Paris and Genoa.

RPBW has designed buildings all around the world: the Menil Collection in Houston, the terminal for Kansai International Airport in Osaka, the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre in New Caledonia, Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas, the extension of the Morgan Library in New York, the Maison Hermès in Tokyo, the New York Times headquarters, the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, the Modern Wing of the Art Institute of Chicago, the rehabilitation of the Ronchamp site, the London Bridge Tower (The Shard) in London, the expansion of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, of the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth and of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, the redevelopment and enlargement of the Harvard Art Museums in Cambridge, and the new Whitney Museum of American Art.

He has received numerous awards and recognitions including: the Royal Gold Medal, 1989; the Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO, 1994; the Praemium Imperiale, 1995; the Pritzker Architecture Prize, 1998; the Gold Medal AIA, 2008.

In September 2013 Renzo Piano was appointed senator for life by the Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and in May 2014 he received the Columbia University Honorary Degree.

Design Philosophy & Team Organization

My main offices in Genoa and Paris permanently employ a team of 100 architects, together with a support staff including publicists, archivists, model makers, administrators and clerical staff. Our architects come from around the world, each selected for his or her own experience, enthusiasm and abilities.

Each project is controlled by one of RPBW’s project coordinators who manages a designated team of architects and support staff from the early design stage to its completion.

I personally lead each project from conception through schematic and design stage. My daily direct involvement continues until I am personally satisfied that the design proposals and concepts have been successfully achieved through close collaboration and development with the client.

During the construction phase I frequently visit the site to inspect the progress and quality of the work; between these visits the project coordinator in charge of the site keeps me regularly informed on its status.

I try to make my workshop a place to undertake the search for “balance,” rejecting confinement within formalism, eliminating boundaries that might interrupt my process. All kinds of materials, environments, ways of thinking, sensibilities and methodologies must combine together without any obstructions. Encompassing distinct times and objects, the balance emerging from this process generates a particular solution for a given architecture. These are the reasons why I believe that details and wholes, nature and technology, tradition and future, as well as rules and freedom can coexist without contradiction.

This is the balance of my architecture. There must be a symbiotic relationship between the collective needs of the public and the personal needs of the individual, further elaborated in the rapport between the building and its environmental context.

Livres et monographies

M. Dini: Renzo Piano, Progetti e architetture 1964-1983
Electa, Milan, 1983
Edition française, Electa Moniteur, Paris, 1983
Edition anglaise, Architectural Press, Londres, 1983
G. Donin: Renzo Piano, Pezzo per pezzo, Casa del Libro, Bari, 1982
R. Piano: Chantier ouvert au public, Arthaud, Paris, 1985
Edition italienne: Dialoghi di cantiere, Laterza, Bari, 1986
R. Piano: Progetti e Architetture, 1984-1986 Electa, Milan, 1986
R. Piano: Renzo Piano, Editions du Centre Pompidou, Paris, 1987
R. Piano, R. Rogers: Du Plateau Beaubourg au Centre G. Pompidou, Editions du Centre Pompidou, Paris, 1987
Eco, Zeri, Piano, Graziani: Le Isole del tesoro, Electa, Milan, 1989
R. Piano: In search of a balance, A+U n.100, Tokyo, 1989
R. Piano: Renzo Piano Building and Projects,
Rizzoli International, New York, 1989
Edition espagnole Gustavo Gili, Madrid,1990
R. Piano: Process Architecture, Tokyo, n. 100, 1992
C. Garbato, M. Mastropietro: Exhibit & Design, Lybra Ed., Milan, 1992
P. Buchanan: Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Complete works, Vol.1, Phaidon Press, Londres 1993
Edition italienne Allemandi, Turin, 1994,
Edition française Flammarion, Paris, 1994,
Edition allemande Hatje Cantz, Stuttgart, 1994
V.M. Lampugnani: Renzo Piano, Progetti e Architetture1987-1994, Electa, Milan, 1994
Edition allemande D. Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart,1994
Edition anglaise Birkhäuser, Berlin 1994
R. Piano: The making of Kansai International Airport Terminal, Kodansha, Tokyo, 1994 Process Architecture, n° 122 :
JA n°15: Kansai International Airport Passenger Terminal Building, 1994
KIAC: Construction of the Kansai International Airport, KIAC 1995
P. Buchanan: Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Complete works, Vol.2, Phaidon Press, Londres 1995
Edition italienne Allemandi, Turin, 1996
Edition allemande Hatje Cantz, Stuttgart 1996
G.B. Gardin: Foto Piano, Peliti Associati, Rome 1996
R. Piano: Giornale di bordo, Passigli editore, Florence, 1997
Edition allemande, Logbuch, Hatje Cantz Verlag, Stuttgart, 1997
Edition anglaise, The logbook, Thames and Hudson, Londres, 1997
Edition française, Carnet de travail, Le Seuil, Paris, 1997
Edition américaine, Logbook, Monacelli Press, New York, 1997
Edition japonaise, Toto, Tokyo,1998
R. Bordaz: Entretiens avec Renzo Piano, Paris, Cercle d'art, 1997
K. Frampton: Renzo Piano Building Workshop, GA Architect, n° 14, A.D.A. Edita Tokyo, Tokyo, 1997
P. Buchanan: Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Complete works, Vol.3, Phaidon Press, Londres, 1997
Edition italienne Allemandi, Turin, Italie 1998
Edition allemande Hatje Cantz, Stuttgart 1998
R. Ingersoll: Korean Architects N. 158 – Oct. 1997, Architecture & Environment Pub., Seoul, Corée
R. Piano: Fondation Beyeler - Une maison de l’art, Birkhaüser, Bâle, Suisse, 1998
Fondation Beyeler- A home for art, Birkhaüser, Bâle, Suisse, 1998
Fondation Beyeler- Ein haus für die kunst, Birkhaüser, Bâle, Suisse, 1998
W. Blaser: Renzo Piano Building Workshop - Museum Beyeler
Musée Beyeler, Benteli Verlag, Berne, Suisse, 1998 (français, anglais)
W. Blaser: Renzo Piano Building Workshop - Museum Beyeler
Musée Beyeler, Benteli Verlag, Bern, Suisse, 1998 (édition unique français, anglais)
M. Paternostro: Lezioni di Piano, De Ferrari, Gênes, Italie, 1999 (italien)
Cinqualbre, Fromonot,
Paquot, Bedarida: Renzo Piano, un regard construit, (catalogue de l’exposition) Editions du Centre Pompidou, Paris, France (français)
R. Piano : Archikturen des Lebens (catalogue de l’exposition) Hatje Cantz Verlag, Ostfildern-Ruit, Allemagne, 2000 (allemand)
R. Cassigoli : La responsabilità dell’architetto-Conversazione con Renzo Cassigoli, Passigli editori, Florence Italie, 2000 (italien)
P. Buchanan: Renzo Piano Building Works, Volume 4, Phaidon Press, Londres, Grande Bretagne, 2000 (anglais)
Edition italienne Allemandi, Turin, Italie 2000
R. Piano: Spirit of Nature – Wood Architecture Award 2000 (donné à l’occasion du prix Wood Architecture Award, Helsinki, Finlande)
A. Bensa: Ethnologie & Architecture-Le centre culturel Tjibaou - une réalisation de Renzo Piano, Adam Birò, Paris, France (français)
W. Blaser: Kulturzentrum der Kanak/Cultural centre of the Kanak people, Birkhaüser, Bâle, Suisse, 2001 (allemand-anglais)
A. Metcalf, M. Van der Wal: Aurora Place - Renzo Piano Sydney, The Watermark Press, Sydney, Australia, 2001 (anglais)
G. Di Lorenzo, M. Münzing,
K. Schlögel: Potsdamer Platz Project 1989 to 2000, Daimler Chrysler Immobilien (DCI) GmbH Berlin, Allemagne, 2001 (anglais)
F. Irace, G. Basilico: La fabbrica della musica-L’Auditorium Paganini nella Città di Parma/The music factory, The City of Parma’s Auditorium Paganini, Abitare Segesta, Milan, Italie, 2002 (italien-anglais)
Renzo Piano Building Workshop: Musica per Roma: Architettura & Musica – Sette cantieri per la musica: dall’Ircam di Parigi all’Auditorium di Roma, Edizioni Lybra Immagine, Milan, Italie, 2002 (catalogue de l’exposition ouverte à l’occasion de l’inauguration de l’Auditorium in Rome) (italien/anglais)
A. Cuito: Renzo Piano – LOFT Publications, Barcelone, Espagne, 2002. (espagnol)
E. Pizzi: Renzo Piano, Birkhäuser, Suisse, 2002 (anglais/allemand)
Edition italienne : Zanichelli, Bologna, Italie, 2002
M. A. Segantini: Auditorium Parco della Musica, Federico Motta Editore, Milan, Italie, 2004 (italien/anglais)
G. Ausiello, F. Polverino: Renzo Piano, Architettura e Tecnica, Clean Edizioni, Naples, Italie, 2004 (italien)
Renzo Piano & Building Workshop, Tormena Editore, Gênes, Italie 2004 (italien)
Renzo Piano Building Workshop: Genova: Città e Porto istruzioni per l’uso, Tormena Editore, Gênes, Italie 2004 (italien)
R. Piano: On Tour with Renzo Piano, Phaidon Press, Londres, Grande Bretagne 2004
Renzo Piano Building Workshop: Nuova sede per Il Sole 24 Ore, Editions Il Sole 24 Ore Spa, Milan, Italie 2004
F. Irace: Trasparenze e Prospettiva – Renzo Piano a Lodi, Editions Bolis, Bergamo, Italie 2004 (italien)
P. Jodidio: PIANO Renzo Piano Building Workshop 1966-2005; Taschen, Cologne 2005 (ed. anglaise/française/allemande – ed. italienne/espagnole/portugaise)
M. Oddo: La chiesa di Padre Pio a San Giovanni Rotondo, Editions Motta, Milan, Italie 2005 (italien)
R. Piano: Giornale di Bordo, Editions Passigli, Florence, Italie 2005 – Réédition (italien)
Matteo Agnoletto Renzo Piano, Motta Architettura, Milan 2006, Italie (italien)
Renzo Cassigoli La désobéissance de l’architecte, traduit de l’italien de “La responsabilità dell’architetto, Paris, 2007 (française)
Renzo Piano Renzo Piano Building Workshop 1990-2006, AV Monografias (Arquitectura Viva) numéro 119, mai-juin 2006 (angl./espa)
Fulvio Irace Renzo Piano Le citta visibili, Milan, 2007 (catalogue de l’exposition “Renzo Piano and Building Wokshop, Le città visibili, Milan, Palazzo della Triennale 22 mai-16 septembre 2007) (ita)
Renzo Piano The Menil Collection, Monographie, Fondation Renzo Piano, 2007
Renzo Piano Fondation Beyeler, Monographie, Fondation Renzo Piano, 2008
Philip Jodidio PIANO Renzo Piano Building Workshop 1966 to today; Taschen, Cologne 2008 (ed. ang/fra/all)
P. Buchanan: Renzo Piano Building Works, Volume 5, Phaidon Press, Londres, Grande Bretagne, 2008 (anglais)
Piano Vedova Edition Fondazione Emilio e Annabianca Vedova, Venise, 2009 (ita)
Renzo Piano Nouméa, Centre Culturel Jean Marie Tjibaou, Renzo Piano Foundation, 2009 (ang-ita)-(fra-angl)

Prix et reconnaissances

1978
Membre honoraire de l'Union Internationale des Architectes, Ville de Mexico
1981
Prix du "Compasso d'Oro", Milan, Italie
Membre honoraire de l'AIA, U.S.A.
1984
Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres, Paris, France
1985
Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur, Paris, France
Membre honoraire du R.I.B.A., Londres, Royaume Uni
1989
Royal Gold Medal du RIBA, Londres, Royaume Uni
Chevalier de la Grande Croix du Gouvernement Italien, Rome, Italie
1990
Docteur Honoris Causa à l'Université de Stuttgart, Allemagne
Kyoto Price de la Fondation Inamori, Kyoto, Japon
1991
Prix Neutra, Pomona, Californie, U.S.A.
1992
Docteur Honoris Causa à l'Université‚ de Delft, Pays Bas
1993
Membre honoraire de l'Académie Américaine des Arts et des Sciences, Londres, Royaume Uni
1994
Membre honoraire de l'Académie Américaine des Arts et des Lettres, U.S.A.
Arnold W. Brunner Memorial Prize, U.S.A.
Membre honoraire de la BDA, Stuttgart, Allemagne
Ambassadeur de Bonne Volonté auprès de l'Unesco pour l'architecture, Paris, France
Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite, Paris, France
Prix Michelangel, Rome, Italie
Prix "Actuationes temporales de Urbanismo y Arquitectura" de la ville de Madrid, Espagne
1995
Prix de l'Académie des Arts de Berlin, Allemagne
Praemium Imperiale, Tokyo, Japon
Prix Erasmus, Amsterdam, Pays Bas
1966
Prix Capo Circeo, Rome, Italie
1997
Prix "Télécom" pour la communication, Naples, Italie
Diplôme "European Award for steel structure" pour l'Héliport du Lingotto, Turin, Italie
1998
The Pritzker Architecture Prize, The White House, Washington, U.S.A.
1999
Architecte de l’Académie Nationale de San Luca , Rome, Italie
2000
Officier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur, Paris, France
Leone d’Oro à la carrière, Venise, Italie
Spirit of Nature Wood Architecture Award, Helsinki, Finlande
Prix Leonardo, Palazzo del Quirinale, Rome, Italie
2001
Wexner Prize, Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A.

2002
Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts Degree, Pratt Institute, New York, U.S.A.
Médaille d’Or UIA (International Union of Architects), Berlin, Allemagne
Prix Michelangelo Antonioni pour les Arts, Auditorium « Parco della Musica », Rome, Italie
2003
Medaille d’Or de l’Architecture Italienne, Triennale de Milan, Italie
Prix « Una vita nella musica – Artur Rubinstein », Venise, Italie
2004
Prix « Grifo d’Oro » de la Mairie de Gênes, Gênes, Italie
Prix « Italy-America Chamber of Commerce Business Cultural Award for 2003 », New York, U.S.A.
2005
Mc Kim Prize, American Academy in Rome, Villa Aurelia, Rome, Italie
Prix Acier 2005 (au projet Zentrum Paul Klee de Berne)
2006
Prix de la Fondation Cythière, Paris, France
Prix « Medaglia d’oro per l’architettura » assigné au projet High Museum of Art de Atlanta, Triennale of Milan, Italie
“Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award for 2006” assigné au projet de la Morgan Library, The New York Landmarks Conservancy, New York, U.S.A.
2007
Wall Paper Design Award pour le meilleur bâtiment public assigné au projet de la Morgan Library – Londre
Gold Award for Engineering Excellence assigné au projet de la Morgan Library, ACEC (American Council of Engineering Companies de New York), New York, U.S.A.
Society of American Registered Architects/New York Council’s (SARA/NY) Project of the year award assigné au projet de la Morgan Library - Battery Garden, New York.
2008
Gold Medal, (AIA) American Institute of Architect, Washington, U.S.A.
Sonning Prize, Université de Copenhague, Copenhague, Danemark

Exhibitions

1967
XIV Triennale di Milano – Palazzo dell’Arte, Milan, Italy

1969
Architectural Association, London, U.K.

1970
Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Paris, France

1982
“Pezzo per Pezzo – progetti, realizzazioni, immagini TV dell’architetto Renzo Piano” – Cittadella dei Musei, Cagliari, Italy
RIBA, London, U.K.
Palazzo Bianco, Genoa, Italy
IN-ARCH, Rome, Italy
“Pezzo per Pezzo – progetti, realizzazioni, immagini TV dell’architetto Renzo Piano” , Palazzo Bianco, Genova, Italia
“Pezzo per Pezzo – progetti, realizzazioni, immagini TV dell’architetto Renzo Piano” , Fiera SAI, Bologna, Italy

1983
Sottochiesa di San Francesco, Arezzo
“Pezzo per Pezzo – progetti, realizzazioni, immagini TV dell’architetto Renzo Piano” – Museo di Capodimonte, Naples, Italy
Museo di Architettura, Helsinki, Finland
“Pezzo per Pezzo – progetti, realizzazioni, immagini TV dell’architetto Renzo Piano”- Palazzo dei Congressi, Bologna, Italia (23-27 march)
“Pezzo per Pezzo – progetti, realizzazioni, immagini TV dell’architetto Renzo Piano” – Castello Svevo, Bari, Italia

1984
MASP, Sao Paulo, Brasil
Columbia University, New York, U.S.A.
Rice University, Houston, U.S.A.
University of Southern California, Los Angeles, U.S.A.
Pennsylvania University, Philadelphia, U.S.A.

1985
Cultural Institute, Tokyo, Japan
Internationale Bauausstellung, Berlin, Germany
M.I.T., Boston, U.S.A.

1986
University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
“Renzo Piano Architetto: venti anni di progetti e realizzazioni di architettura”, Palladio's Basilica, Vicenza, Italy
Vancouver Museum, Vancouver, Canada

1987
“Renzo Piano: the process of architecture” - 9TH Gallery, London, U.K., (16 gennaio- 15 febbraio)
Menil Museum, Houston, U.S.A.
“Renzo Piano Building Workshop” , Sorbonne Chapel, Paris, France

1988
Vieille Charité, Marseille, France
Expo' 2000, Moscow, Russia
1989
“RIBA Exhibition” , Royal Institute of British Architects, London, U.K.

1990
“RIBA Exhibition” Tokyo Museum, Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Japan

1992
“Renzo Piano Building Workshop: Selected Projecs”, Architectural League, New York, U.S.A.

1993
“Renzo Piano Building Workshop”- Menil Collection, Houston, Texas, U.S.A.
“Building Workshop projects Exhibition”, Aedes Galerie und Architekturforum, Berlin, Germany
“Renzo Piano Building Workshop” , MOPT Gallery, Madrid, Spain

1994
“Renzo Piano Building Workshop”,Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh, U.S.A.
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A.
GA Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

1995
Netherlands Architecture Institute - NAI, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

1996
Light Construction The Moma, New York, U.S.A.
(1994?) "Una città come esperimento: Potsdamer Platz a Berlino" – Loggia della Mercanzia di Piazza Banchi, Genoa, Italy (april)
Italian Design, Triennale, Milan, Italy
VI International Exhibition of Architecture Biennale, Venice, Italy

1997
“Renzo Piano + Building Workshop: Out of the Blue”, Kunst-und Ausstellungshalle, Bonn, Germany
“Renzo Piano + Building Workshop: Out of the Blue”, Naples, Italy (April – June)
“Renzo Piano Workshop”, Beyeler Fondation, Riehen, Basel, Switzerland (October 1997 – March 1998)
Roma Auditorium, La Serra, Rome, Italy

1998
“Renzo Piano + Building Workshop: Out of the Blue” , Gallery MA, Tokyo, Japan (April – June)

2000
“Renzo Piano: un regard construit” , Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France (January - March)
“Renzo Piano: Architekturen des Lebens” , Neue National Galerie, Berlin, Germany (June - September)
“Città: less Aesthetics, more ethics”, installation for the 7th Biennale of Architecture 2000 in Venice, Italy

2002
“Architettura e Musica, sette cantieri per la musica : dall’Ircam di Parigi all’Auditorium di Roma”, Auditorium - Parco della Musica , Rome, Italy (April - December)

2003
“Renzo Piano: The Architect’s Studio”, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek (Copenhagen), Denmark

2004
“Renzo Piano & The Building Workshop” , Porta Siberia, Porto Antico area, Genoa, Italy (May -October)

2005
“On tour with Renzo Piano and Building Workshop: Selected Projects”, Los Angeles County Museum of Arts, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. (March - October)
“Celebrate Architecture! Renzo Piano and Building Workshop”, High Museum of Arts, Anne Cox Chambers Wing – Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A. (November 2005 – March 2006 )

2006
“On tour with Renzo Piano and Building Workshop: Selected Projects”, The Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A. (May - August)

2007
“Zentrum Paul Klee” – La Galerie d’Architecture, Paris, France
“Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Le città visibili”, Triennale di Milano (May 22 – September 15)