Creative Genius of Renzo Piano

Italian architect Renzo Piano was born on September 14th, 1937, in Genoa, Italy. Although he was born into a family of builders, his ideas were all his own. Renzo Piano felt that nostalgia was a trap and not at all important. His feeling was, “It’s not what you have done, or where you’ve been, but where you will be, and what you will do.”

Renzo has definite opinions about creativity and how to inspire more of it. He feels you need to exchange ideas with those from all different creative disciplines and cultures. The implication is that cultures bring diversity and that there is extreme value in diversity. This provides a different perspective that we might not have ever thought of, bringing perhaps an epiphany or two.

Renzo Piano has always had an insatiable interest in technology and state-of-the-art solutions, evident in all of his building designs. Any architectural issues that came about, he would find a contemporary solution in the design, materials used, or even placement to solve the issue. He established fame as the architect who designed high-tech public spaces.

He partnered with architect Richard Rogers and designed the Centre Pompidou in Paris. It was aesthetically high tech; they designed it to look like an “urban machine.” Renzo’s design positioned the elevators on the building’s exterior, which he felt would give the interior of the building a more open and flexible floor plan. This caught the attention of the international architectural community because they felt that the finished structure did not fit the institutional idea of what a museum should look like.

Others complained that it did not fit the historic neighborhood. Well, Renzo Piano’s genius came through because it wound up revitalizing the area and became an internationally acclaimed landmark.

Renzo referred to architecture as a “civic gesture” because of how it affects those who inhabit it daily, and as he put it, “also acts as a container for the unfolding of their history.” Here’s a comprehensive list of his most influential buildings.

Inspired to have high-level creativity in your own home or space? Learn more about ADG Lighting’s custom lighting design services! Email us at info@adgmail.com or call us at 818.597.9494.

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From the Factory Floor

One of a kind brass fixture on its way to a client!

by Gerald Olesker. CEO, ADG Lighting