RENZO PIANO
RPBW (Renzo Piano Building Workshop) method and philosophy
Renzo Piano Building Workshop method has been consolidated over 35 years.
It consists in good teamwork, people - centric philosophy, innovation and creativity.
Lightness, flexibility of spaces, simplicity, transparency and openness are the main philosophical concepts behind each project by Renzo Piano. Infact it is really concerned in environmental and energy sustainability that is why non physical elements, such as light are taken into great consideration.
Another typical aspect is that all Renzo Piano’s projects stand on a big square which is ment to becomes a meeting place, a real “place to be”, a new destination for people.
The Pompidou Centre
The Pompidou Centre is a vast multidisciplinary structure in the Beaubourg area, of the 4th arrondissement of Paris. It was designed in the style of high-tech architecture by the team of Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano.
It is named after Georges Pompidou, the President of France from 1969 to 1974 who commissioned the building, and was officially opened on 31 January 1977 by President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing (Pompidou had died in 1974). Because of its location, the Pompidou Centre is best known as Beaubourg.
It looks like a huge spaceship made of glass, steel and coloured tubing that landed unexpectedly in the heart of Paris. It is a place where the many forms of contemporary culture intertwine: art, design, literature, music and cinema.
The building extends over 10 floors of 7500 square meters each and it houses the Public Information Library, the National Museum of Modern Art and IRCAM, a center for music and acoustic research. On the top floor visitors can enjoy a breathtaking view of Paris .
It is immediately recognizable by its exterior escalators and enormous tubing of 4 different colours: blue for circulating air (air conditioning), yellow for circulating electricity, green for circulating water and red for circulating people (escalators and lifts).
Lightness, flexibility of spaces, simplicity, transparency and openness are the main philosophical concepts behind each project by Renzo Piano
The facades of the Pompidou Centre express “openness”. When you are inside, the large glass panels open the eyes to the urban space. In the same way, from the outside, the interior spaces are visible. In this way “inside” and “outside” are fused together.
Its revolutionary character has made the Centre Pompidou one of the most emblematic buildings of the 20th century. With its use of steel (15 000 tons) and glass (11 000 m²) and the externalisation of its load-bearing structure together with circulation and services, it soon became an icon of 20th century architecture.
Like all Renzo Piano’s projects, the building stands on a big Piazza. Inseparable from the Beaubourg project, this huge square has become a meeting place, a real “place to be”, a new destination for people.
Paddington Square
Paddington Square is the new Renzo Piano's project. It is best known as Paddington Cube. It is designed as a huge 17-storey floating Cube. The building will be twelve meters off the ground and this s to create a big open square where people can gather.
It will open in 2022 and It will house thousands of offices, several restaurants, bars and shops. The façade will be crystalline, like a fine lace of steel and glass in a clear pattern.
There will be panoramic lifts to the roof terrace with terrific view of London.
The project wants to transform the caothic area near Paddingtong station into a world famous site which will replace the Royal Mail Office and It will also provide a community gathering space.