“Architecture is the art of making shelter for human beings,” stated prolific Italian architect Renzo Piano at the TED2018 "The Age of Amazement" conference last week. Throughout his lengthy career, Piano, 80, has designed some of the most recognizable buildings across the world; notables include the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, The Shard in London and the Whitney Museum of Art in New York City, part of an impressive body of work spanning decades.
Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, by Renzo Piano
The Shard, London, by Renzo Piano
The Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC, by Renzo Piano
More than 100 speakers — activists, scientists, adventurers, change-makers and more — took the stage in Vancouver at TED2018, of which Carmen is a patron. In what was one of her favorite TED Talks of 2018, Piano explained that when he sets out to create these buildings, he looks for them to the flirt with the surrounding world — with water, wind, and even light — and communicate with humanity’s most universal language: beauty. Real beauty, he believes, is when the invisible joins the visible. And this doesn’t just apply to art or nature, it can relate to science and human curiosity as well. “This universal beauty is one of the few thing that can change the world,” he says. “Believe me this beauty will change the world, one person at a time.”
Here are a few more global buildings realized by Piano:
Maison Hermes, Tokyo, by Renzo Piano
El Centro Botín, Santander, Spain, by Renzo Piano
Toronto Courthouse, Canada, by Renzo Piano
Astrup Fearnley Museet, Norway, by Renzo Piano