Renzo Piano

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Summary: conceptually it is a good reference for architect
Review: great all the time,the students of Archi.M'sia

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Summary: It is a real history of the powerful of human imagination.
Review: 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.

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Summary: Construction handbook in photos
Review: Published by Rizzoli under ISBN: 0847811522 and 0847811247, it has 256 pages. Disappointingly, Centre Georges Pompidou is presented on a few somewhat depressing or irrelevant B&W photos and illegible tech. drawings with white lines on black background. A few more projects are shown in that manner. Many photos show everything except architecture (good for social studies), or were made too close to the object showing too little of it, or - too far showing too much sky or foliage, incl. most of the B&W ones. There are not many plans and sections, and mostly too small and/or simplistic (incl. hand drawn). Technical aspect of structure is overemphasized and dominates photos like in a construction handbook. The fabric of architecture - space proportions and composition is very scarce. There is a lot of empty paper.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent collection of Renzo Piano's works
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent introduction to Piano's works
Review: 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.