Product Description

Renzo Piano (Genoa, 1937) studied architecture at the Polytechnic in Milan. Since winning the competition to design the Centre Pompidou in Paris (1971) along with Richard Rogers, Piano has become a prominent figure on the international architectural scene, with more works constructed outside Italy than in his own country. Piano brings a similar approach to both the small and the large scale. He has directed projects of very varying sizes: small buildings like the travelling IBN Pavilion and the Brancusi Museum; and great megastructures like Kansai's International Airport Terminal built on a man-made island in the Bay of Tokyo, and the remodeling of Berlin's Potsdamer Platz where work is scheduled to be completed in 2002.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1013323 in Books
• Published on: 2003-03
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: German, Italian, English, French
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 80 pages

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Italian

From the Publisher
Each volume in this eminently affordable series highlights the work of a renowned 20th century architect. Packed with dazzling four-color photographs of exteriors and interiors, detailed plans, generous layouts and brief, comprehensive texts, these books are both authoritative and attractive, while their convenient size makes them great travel companions. An easy reference for work, school, or play, these colorful introductions to architectural wonders will fill your head with inspiration—without emptying your wallet.

Customer Reviews

Excellent collection of Renzo Piano's works
Renzo Piano is one of the most important contemporary architects. Every design he conceives is specific to its location. Piano chooses not to attach himself to an image. His architecture reflects a clear understanding of climate, culture, and construction methods and materials, which work together in harmony to become a building of its own and not a trademark of the designer (such as the automatic association of Richard Meier and his white steel enamel panels).

A student of architecture should keep a library to refer to when coming across unresolved issues in designs. The Logbook by Piano is not only an excellent monograph of his works, but it also provides the architect's own insight for each design, which is more important than any interpretation a critic might have.

It is a real history of the powerful of human imagination.
Not an history of architecture, but an exibithion of some ideas about life, showed by architecture. Renzo Piano shows himself by his work. Reading this book is quite as the same as listening Renzo that confidentially speaks about what is important in his life, and why. Architecture is, for him, the best way to express his ideas about education, politics, ethics and love. I definitely suggest it.

Excellent introduction to Piano's works
This book covers virtually every project that Renzo Piano had worked on up until the time of the book's publication. It covers all of his built and unbuilt works, and then more. Did you know that he has designed a car and a ship? Although each project gets only a few pages, the drawings and text are concise and get right to the point. The best part of this book is that the text is in Piano's own words, so that the explanations and commentaries come straight from the source. In his text, he often emphasizes the importance of getting your design built and enjoying the process of building.

In addition to talking about each of his projects, he also discusses his own views at the beginning and end of the book on broad topics like the pursuit of architectural design and the architectural profession. This is particularly beneficial for architecture students and young people who want to know more about the field, and it seems like Piano probably had this in mind when he discusses his views.

The book is now a bit dated, for example late 1990's projects like the Tjibaou Cultural Center had not yet been completed and are presented here in mostly models, drawings, and early construction photos. However, it is still very useful because it offers a terrific first-person insight into one of the most respected architects of recent decades. I truly hope that they will update this excellent book someday, but for now I still recommend it to any Renzo Piano fan and anyone who is interested in architecture.