Renzo Piano: Brilliant life to take as a role model

Piano was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1937, into a family of builders. He was educated and subsequently taught at thePolitecnico di Milano. He graduated from the University in 1964 with a dissertation about modular coordination (coordinazione modulare) supervised by Giuseppe Ciribini and began working with experimental lightweight structures and basic shelters.

Piano has inspired people by achieving new levels of architecture. And thanks to him for adding more aspects to the world of design. Here is the list awards and works of him. Enjoy!!!

KANSAI AIRPORT/Osaka-JAPAN

The Living Roof of the California Academy of Sciences, a museum and research facility in San Francisco, United States (2008)

The New York Times Building, New York (2007)

                                            Shard London Bridge, London, UK (2012)

                                                           Nemo Science Centre -- Amsterdam

AWARDS

• Cavaliere di Gran Croce Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana, 24 March 1990
• Italian Order of Merit for Culture and Art, 28 March 1994
• In 1989, Piano was the recipient of the Royal Gold Medal.
• In 1990, Piano was the recipient of the Kyoto Prize.
• In 1995, Piano was the recipient of the Praemium Imperiale
• In 1998, Piano was the recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize.
• In 2008, Piano was the recipient of the AIA Gold Medal.
• In 2008, Piano was the recipient of the Sonning Prize.
• In 2002, Piano was the recipient of the International Union of Architects#UIA Gold Medal.
• In 2013, Piano was elected into the National Academy of Design

Please click link below for further information about Renzo Piano.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renzo_Piano

Life in a boxes...

Living in a dream place never had been so easy and cheap before the container houses got trend. As we know shipping containers can easily turned into living areas with few changes in its structure. It's also gives huge opportunities to move them wherever we want because of its shape and weight. We also could put few of them together to make the place more interesting and exciting. Here is few examples of container house designs...

Nordahl Grieg High School

Steinsvikvegen 430, Bergen, Norway 5239


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TYPE

Educational › Elementary School
Hospitality + Sport › Sports Center 

YEAR

2010

Link Arkitektur AS has a long tradition in designing school projects. The project Nordahl Grieg high school with its 14’000 m2 is the result of a 1.prize in an EEA design competition in 2006.The school was completed in 2010.

The main aim of Link Arkitektur AS is to design projects which maximize the quality of the situation and the community. This is achieved by focusing mainly on environmental issues and universal access and use.  To design a high school in Bergen on the west coast of Norway means to build an ideal place for studying and free time activities in a region with dark winter months and rain approximately 240 days each year. A mostly transparent facade utilizes the precious sunlight. The randomly distributed strong coloured windows, glass doors and accentuated placed furnishings create striking interior contrasts and a friendly ambience.The entrance hall is the central nerve connecting the different studies and common rooms. Designed as a landscape over three levels it offers various indoor meeting and studying areas which can, in addition be used for celebration, concerts, theatre and school gatherings.The traffic structure is easy to read and the layout of the teaching area very flexible for different pedagogic approaches. The common rooms can be rented out individually. The buildings shape with its dynamic lines, overhanging façades and the coloured windows symbolize the dynamic, energy and light heartedness of the youth pupils. Pre-patinated copper and glass are the main materials in the façades.Indoor or outdoor, the school areas are designed to enable universal access and use, and offer up to 800 students a variety of different spaces for studying, relaxing, celebration and sport.

Status: Built
Location: Bergen, NO
My Role: Architecture, Interior Design
Additional Credits: Photographer: Hundven-Clements Photography

Kirchplatz Office + Residence

Basel, Switzerland

FIRM

Oppenheim Architecture + Design

TYPE

Commercial › Office
Residential › Private House 

The design of this adaptive re-use project was born initially out of a design competition initiated by the City of Muttenz/Basel. The design was based on the renovation of an historic farmhouse situated within the historic center core of the city. The original farmhouse was constructed in 1743.  Today the converted farmhouse serves as an office for an architectural design company, provides community meeting space, and serves as a compelling link to a new, adjacent private residence.The new design aimed to provide a fresh interpretation to the existing traditional features of the historic farmhouse building and it’s interior. This is achieved by creating new openings for natural daylight and by using a crisp white finish in the interiors, which juxtapose against the texture of the old wood and through the way in which the spaces open up, overlap, and merge together with one another.The sustainability considerations included maintaining an energy-efficient building through the use of current MINERGIE (energy efficiency) construction standards, solar roof panels, a sustainable choice of materials such as reclaimed wood used for the facade, and the restoration of existing architectural elements where possible.The project also included the design of a new single family house adjacent to the adaptively re-used historic farmhouse that was converted into the office. This elegant contemporary residential structure juxtaposes with the historic building. The new and old share commonalities of materials and colors, yet have distinctly different expressions with the interplay of modern and historic delighting the senses. The 3-floor house is organized with the master bedroom and guest bedroom on the top floor; the kitchen, dining and living spaces on the ground level; and the children’s bedrooms below ground with a ramped outdoor backyard terrace leading up to the ground level.

PTTEP Headquarters

Vibhavadi-Rangsit Road, Bangkok, Thailand 10900


PTTEP, Thailand's national petroleum exploration company, occupies eighteen floors in the ENCO building in Bangkok, consolidating functions previously spread across a number of sites. The competition-winning design by HASSELL creates an open plan workplace, configured around a new internal stairway that provides a physical and visual link between all levels of the 45,000 square metre tenancy.Breakout and hub spaces are situated adjacent to stair landings to encourage staff interaction. Utility rooms are located around the central core ensuring work space areas are positioned with close proximity to natural light. This open plan approach is a significant change for PTTEP and has strengthened the culture of the company.The interior colour scheme was inspired by the luminous gas flame associated with oil exploration and production with the gradation of colour in the flame helping to create a unique identity across the floors.The introduction of a dedicated client floor, and a separate executive suite accommodating all management facilities, enabled PTTEP to maximise the general workplace facilities. Two landscaped external roof decks provide additional space for staff recreation and other corporate activities. Established trees and vertical wall climbers create a lush and green environment to complement the building's glazed truss parapet.

VIGOSS Textile Showroom&Design Office

İstanbul, Istanbul, Turkey

Photographer: Şafak Emrence

By reason of cooperation between two major textile companies, the necessity of a new design office with additional showroom for guest designer team is revealed in existing manufacturing building of the host company. Approach of the architectural team, according to the demand was, creating a perception of “non-belonging” in the space, to highlight the difference between existing function and the new one, also maintaining the balance, between; using the attractive and colorful interior workspace as a showcase, and preserving the privacy of the designers. Another demand that shapes the concept was a multi-functional area which serves as a design office and a showroom. 
Architectural team aimed to meet all demands with a single shell.
The shell is;
• creating a sense of “dissimilarity” by its form which is contrary to the form of existing spaces.
• developing a perception of “addition” to the former function of the area.
• providing the connection with existing spaces and its users by a permeable layer.
• serving both as a seperation and display, continuing around the office area.
The shell contains 962 cnc-cutting slabs that create a curvilinear form, and seperating 500m² from the rest of the floor, which is 3000m² in total. Through the support of the steel structure, the shell is is freestanding and has no joints with ceiling or floor. The structure is designed as a clothes-hanger bar continuing around the office space besides its load-bearing function.
By the permeable feature of shell, division between inner and outer spaces becomes indistinct, in addition, continuity of connection with existing spaces and its users is ensured. Form of the cnc slabs, offers variable visibility levels of inside, to users walking around the shell, thus brings controlled privacy to the users inside. With shadows generated by lighting pass through the slabs, the shell also creates a visual value for the surroundings.
In accordance to the concept of the shell, working space is designed as a monolith form , on the purpose of creating a perception in terms of “integrity”. Designer’s desk is formed as a massive concrete plate in the middle, supported by columns.
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Project Area: 500 m²
Client: VIGOSS Textile
Design Team: Başak Emrence, Şafak Emrence, Başak Bakkaloğlu

Lido Shores Residence

Sarasota, Florida, United States

Situated on a quarter acre lot, this 3,700 SF island residence was designed to satisfy the owner’s desire for a minimalist home in which they could both live and entertain. Centered among the Gulf of Mexico and Sarasota Bay, the home is set in an enclave for modern design. 

There were two main challenges the architects faced in designing this residence. The first issue was the fact that despite its location across the street from the water, the property lacked an expansive water view. To fulfill the owners’ desire for a connection to water, the architect designed the floorplan to wrap around the pool. The emphasis placed on a connection to water is a thread woven throughout the entire house: stepping-stones at the entryway lead over a reflecting pond, while the entrance hall itself acts as bridge, and all the main public and private spaces pivot around the pool, including the entry, living room, kitchen, outdoor area, library, master bedroom, and circulation areas. Daily rituals, ranging from rising in the morning and preparing meals to returning home, consistently capture the owner's desire to be surrounded by water. 

There are also more intimate rooms that take advantage of property views, such as the dining room, which centers on conversation, and rooms that are meant to be introspective, such as the owner’s office. 
The other main challenge was to design the home on an oddly-angled, trapezoidal lot. The architect designed the home so that the secondary spaces, such as the office, laundry room, library, and upstairs terrace absorb the angles and flow with them, rather than fighting the geometric shapes. This composition grants the principal spaces the openness of a customary flow. 

The concise, uncluttered design and a palette of simple finishes create a sense that the interior and exterior spaces are open and expansive, while still maintaining a sense of privacy. Unencumbered doorways, multiple vistas, and transom windows allow for abundant natural light throughout the course of the day.
The result is a home in which myriad ideas and influences are woven into one fluid experience.

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Credits:
Architect: JONATHAN PARKS ARCHITECT; design team: Jonathan Parks, AIA, Chris Leader & Punit Patel 
Interior Design: Punit Patel with Owner
Photography: Greg Wilson