Knowledge of the work of Renzo Piano from 1964 to 1983 is indispensable for an understanding of his more recent works.
[Renzo Piano. Projects and architecture 1964-1983] The first twenty years of activity of Renzo Piano are the subject of this book: from the debut (1964), after working with Franco Albini, to the evolution of the research leading to the combination of the possibilities of technology and industrial systems of production with a constructive culture and formal taste faithful to the values of artisan knowledge.
Exemplary works, in this sense, include the architect’s studio in Genoa (1968-69), the offices for B&B Italia at Novedrate (Como, 1971-73) and, above all, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, in collaboration with Richard Rogers (1971-77). This same period also includes studies on complex construction components, prefabrication, experimental vehicles and the restoration and reutilization of urban edification. Piano creates “workshops” in different cities capable of operating on any scale, for any type of client, in keeping with the principles of flexibility and experimentation.
Knowledge of the work of the Genoese architect from 1964 to 1983 is indispensable for an understanding of his more recent works.