Everyone should own this book and I’ll tell you why, below.

The first Renzo Piano project that I was introduced to in college was the Maison Hermès and instantly fell in love with Piano’s work, because  unlike other signature architects, he has the ability to produce architecture devoid of stylistic trends. His work does not bear the burden of a heavy handed signature like other famous architects. Piano’s work responds to the local culture, contextual forces and functional requirements of the program, and this is why Piano’s work is consistently new and fresh. The first reason that every architect should own this book is because Piano teaches us that the solution to architectural problems is extracted from what already exists. Architectural style and computer driven forms should not be forced upon a building. The solution is there, you just have to find it.

The state of architecture today in the United States is the many vs the few, style vs substance, black vs white, and if there were two figureheads that lead each camp, Piano would lead the white league, and let’s say Daniel Libeskind would lead the black. It is unfortunate that Philip Jodidio does not write about the value and integrity that Piano’s work gives the profession of architecture. It is unfortunate that Jodidio does not analyze each building and Piano’s process and avoidance of a particular style or design signature. In fact, Jodidio writes very little in this book, especially since the text includes German and French translations. If you are looking for a book that critiques the buildings designed by Renzo Piano, or analyzes the importance that Piano’s work plays in leading the architectural profession, then this is not the book for you. On the other hand, if you are looking for a book which documents a nearly complete body of Renzo Piano’s work with high quality photographs, then this is a must have for your library. This brings me to the second reason that you should own this book and that is that the number of color photographs printed in this book trumps all other books on the subject of Renzo Piano. This is by far the largest collection of Renzo Piano architectural imagery, and is a necessary supplemental text to support other books which discuss the design philosophy of Piano.

The third, and most important reason to own this book, is that Jodidio has created a text which fully documents the career of Piano and allows any student of architecture to track the evolution of Piano’s work and discover buildings that did not make it to the cover of Architectural Record, but remain exceptional works of architecture. One of the two projects that I find to be anexceptional example of Piano’s ability to produce architecture at a high level of design is the Maison Hermès. The Maison Hermès could easily be considered one of Piano’s many architectural masterpieces, yet is unknown to many, pictured on the left. The other project which is featured in the book is IRCAM, and is another work unknown to most, but is an example of Piano’s ability to quietly produce great architecture without a heavy handed signature, pictured on the right. This book is a record of all buildings produced by Piano, and these are only two examples of works documented in this book that remain unknown to much of the architectural public. Jodidio also documents Piano’s more famous buildings, like the recently completed New York Times building, photographed and printed in full color 8″ x 10″ prints.

Image 1: Above are two images taken from Piano: Renzo Piano Building Workshop 1966-2008. The project features many of Piano’s more famous buildings, but also supplies imagery related to forgotten projects like the Maison Hermes and IRCAM.

The book does fall short in a couple of key areas.  Like many architectural magazines and blogs, there are few plans, diagrams, sections or details featured in the book. The few that are featured are very informative and interesting, leaving the reader thirsty for more. The book only offers a superficial discussion of each building. Remember this should be viewed as a supplemental text to serious students of Piano’s work.

If you are a fan of Piano, this book is a must have, and if you have not looked at a Piano building in awhile this book will make you a fan. It is incredible to flip through 528 pages of architecture that is produced with such a high level of craft. The other incredible thing about this book is the price, thank you Taschen for somehow always finding a way to print great books at affordable prices. And thank you to those that decide to purchase Piano: Renzo Piano Building Workshop 1966-2008 from the link supplied on this site. Your support allows this site to continue to produce critical content with minimal advertisements.

Book Statistics:

Author: Philip Jodidio
Price: $26.39
Publication Date: September 1, 2008
Format: Hardcover
Length: 528 pages
Publisher: TASCHEN
ISBN: 3836503220
ISBN-13: 978-3836503228

Publisher Synopsis:
The array of buildings by Renzo Piano is staggering in scope and comprehensive in the diversity of scale, material, and form. He is truly an architect whose sensibilities represent the widest range of this and earlier centuries.” Such was the description of Renzo Piano given by the Pritzker Prize jury citation as they bestowed the prestigious award on him in 1998. Whereas some architects have a signature style, what sets Piano apart is that he seeks simply to apply a coherent set of ideas to new projects in extraordinarily different ways. “One of the great beauties of architecture is that each time, it is like life starting all over again,” Piano says. “Like a movie director doing a love story, a Western, or a murder mystery, a new world confronts an architect with each project.” This explains why it takes more than a superficial glance to recognize Piano`s fingerprints on such varied projects as the Pompidou Center in Paris (1971-77), the Kansai airport in Osaka, Japan (1990-94), and the Tjibaou Cultural Center in Nouméa, New Caledonia (1993-1998). This stunning monograph, illustrated by photographs, sketches, and plans, covers Piano`s career to date.

The updated publication includes new photographs of projects completed since the previous edition, such as his The New York Times Building in New York, the Zentrum Paul Klee in Bern, Switzerland, The Morgan Library in New York, as well as some sneak peeks at his current projects, including the 66-story London Bridge Tower, which is set to be Europe`s tallest building.

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DesignIntelligence is the Design Futures Council’s bi-monthly report on the future, delivering original research, insightful commentary, and instructive best practices. Design leaders rely on DesignIntelligence to deliver insight about emerging trends and management practices, allowing them to make their organization a better managed, more financially successful enterprise.

My personal favorite is that they state in the above that DesignIntelligence is a report on the future, which is almost as funny as the fact that they try to pawn off DesignIntelligence as one word. I was severely disappointed when I did not see Leonard Nimoy or ‘Spock’ on the list of the Design Futures Council Fellows. Seriously, it states on their website, ‘a report from the future’. The DesignIntelligence site also states that the fellowship is granted to individuals who have provided noteworthy leadership to the advancement of design, design solutions, or the design professions. The main focus of this article is to address the issue of the credibility of awards and honors that are handed out like door prizes in the profession of architecture. I have won design competitions and awards where I was not the best entry, and have been found holding the short straw several times where it was quite obvious that compared to the winner, my second or third place entry should have won. Why can we not make these awards more transparent, why can’t the jurrors or committees that hand out these awards address questions such as: Why did the person win the award? Why was their entry better than the others? Why are the below people better than anyone else, and deserving of such an award? I think that DesignIntelligence rather than listing each name as if writing a guest list, should state why each of the people are deserving of being a part of the Design Futures Council Fellows, and what that even means. Awards and honors like these further damage the credibility of a profession which is short on integrity. I will attempt to generate a hypothesis (havn’t used that word since 9th grade) as to why each of the Fellows were honored as such. Some are obvious and others are more suspicious selections. If you have further information to contribute to this article, please comment below.

My spell check is freaking out right now, because DesignIntelligence is not one word, so let’s give spell check a break and see if any of the new fellows actually meet the above standards. I now present to you the 2009 Design Futures Council Fellows, drum roll please. . . .

	Carrie Byles, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLC- SOM is one of the original founders of the Design Futures Council so this is of no surprise.
	Wing T. Chao, Walt Disney Imagineering - For those of you that do not know, Chao has lead the creative development of Walt Disney as executive vice president of master planning, architecture and design at Walt Disney Imagineering for 40 years and is the first candidate that clearly belongs on this list.
	Daniel P. Coffey, Daniel P. Coffey & Associates Ltd. – A quality firm and I don’t mean to knock them, but I will, there is no awesomeness to be found at Daniel P. Coffey & Associates Ltd despite the firm boasting that it won an AIA Firm of the Year Award, what they fail to state is that it is a Chicago AIA award, not a National AIA award, big difference.
	Maj. Gen. Del Eulberg, United States Air Force – I fully support the armed forces, but have failed to see why the Major made the list.
	Michael Graves, Michael Graves & Associates – Michael Graves is certainly one of the leaders in the design and architectural professions. He has also managed to bridge the cap between design and mainstream popular culture, as well as bring accessible design to the forefront of design, something which I am a huge supporter of. Although I am a huge fan of Michael Graves, I have to classify him in the same category as Christopher Reeves, because he is someone who didn’t give a damn about the cause he supports now, until it affected him. Maybe it doesn’t matter, but it turns me off when someone becomes an advocate for accessible design after they are confined to a wheelchair. This is just my opinion, and like I said, I am a huge fan. I am not sure why it took so long for him to be a fellow, but maybe they were holding out for a Target sponsorship.
	Robert C. Grupe, USG Corp. – is Director of Architectural and Technical Solutions at USG Corporation and is a true sustainable dsigner, not to be confused with LEED or being green. Of all the people on the list, Grupe is the man and is most deserving of this honor. While researching for this article I found an interview with Grupe on the USG website, and here is a quote from the man: After doing some research, I’ve come to believe that “green” is nothing more than marketing spin, while “sustainability” is a method of design. While “green” has its roots deeply embeded in excellent goals, it has been reduced over the years to an apparent positioning race. “Sustainability,” from a product standpoint, encompasses everything from a product’s raw material content to how it’s handled through manufacturing and shipping, during and after installation, as well as throughout the life of the installation.” Grupe if you ever read this, thanks for calling it like it is, and I would love to do an interview with you. Have your people call my people.
	Craig W. Hartman, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLC – I repeat, SOM is one of the original founders of the Design Futures Council so this is of no surprise.
	Jane Poynter, Paragon Space Development Corp. – Jane Poynter is one of the original crew members of the Biosphere 2. She locked herself up in a bubble for two years and survived, and now she has a blog. Certainly a pioneer in the area of research and sustainable ecosystems.
	Renzo Piano, Renzo Piano Building Workshop – People even love his bad buildings. Renzo Piano is another choice that leaves one wondering, why did it take so long?
	Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services – She can’t be all that bad, she is a native Cincinnatian, but why is she on this list? I searched high and low and found out it’s not who you know but how you spend the tax payers’ money. In 2006 she requested that $200 million dollars be given to the Department of Energy Biomass and Biorefinery Systems Research and Development Program.
	Stephen J. Senkowski, Armstrong World Industries – This man is rich, and looks stunning in his glamor shot, whilst his medal for great hair hangs around his neck.
	Alan Webber, Fast Company – Alan Webber was the editor of Harvard Business Review and left to start his own magazine Fast Company. I guess they need someone to write about their fellows.

This has to be the most diverse class of fellows ever established, anywhere in history, but wait there is one more:

Brad Pitt, actor and environmental advocate - Seriously are you kidding me? Can somebody stop Brad Pitt before he actually convinces someone that he is an architect? I think that what Brad Pitt does with his fame and money is a great thing, but he should stick to philanthropy and quit trying to promote the image of him as anything other than an actor and a philanthropist. You are not a designer and you are most certainly not an architect. Just because I watch movies and know a lot about them, has not earned me the right to win an Oscar. Disclaimer: I do support Brad Pitt and the Make It Right Foundation as they are one of our sponsored architectural charities, but give me a break. Critique This! below.

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