Customer Reviews

Renzo Piano

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Renzo Piano is without a question one of the worlds greatest architects, his talent is singular, it's just awesome...as is this amazing book. It is THE book on Piano, and that is saying something because there are quite a few good books on the man and his work, but if you feel you can have just one on Renzo Piano then make it this one. The text is scholarly and highly informative and the images are just what you would expect in a book of this caliber..first rate. I often visit the Menil Collection here in Houston and never cease to marvel at how beautiful yet function it is, and that really is his genius. I recently visited his building for the Nasher Collection in Dallas and again was blown away at the elegance and beauty of the building, yet it works perfectly as a repository for Mr. Nasher's world class collection, it works on every level, as with the Menil, it is highly functional,yet beautiful. The two buildings could not be more different, but they both bare Mr. Piano's penchant for a building that works. It's not enough that the building is takes your breath away, it must also work and Renzo Piano understands this and as an admirer of great architecture and someone who appreciates function, thank you Mr. Piano. I highly recomend this beautiful book on this amazing talent.

...As a proffesional photographer and an avid architecture enthusiast, I look for extreme qualities in the books I purchase. I have had nothing but great luck with my purchases from publishing companies such as Phaidon, Taschen, and Rizzoli. Phillip Jodidio is also someone who has proved himself time and time again (the author of this book, among others). This book is absolutely gorgeous! It is one of the few books I had to buy without being able to look through it, but wow! And to think there is one of these on Tadao Ando and one forthcoming on my favorite Architect Santiago Calatrava?!?!

Anyhow, here are some details for you:

This book is slightly smaller than the Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture, which remains my favorite book to date. With that said, it's a little easier to hold on your lap, but best viewed on a table!

The photography is awesome...some of the photos take up two pages! - in fact, there is a center-foldout of the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center that takes up four pages!!!

There is enough text to fill you in on info, but the photography in this book really does the talking. You will also find a lot of sketches and some models from Mr. Piano.

Renzo Piano is one of my favorite architects, but if your cause is a love for architecture in general, I still have to recommend this book. Everything is well done, even the catologue of his complete work in the back.

The only drawback for me is that only certain pieces of his work are showcased - for example, the Ferrari wind tunnel is only mentioned in the rear catologue, not showcased in the book.

This book is well worth $125.00, in fact, in my opinion it's worth more than that! - After having this book, I am going to pick up the Tadao Ando and Santiago Calatrava books WITHOUT viewing them, that's what a good job this book did at selling me on those products!!

I think the book is really good for the people who doesn't know the work of Piano, but in my case it was - in certain way - disappointing. The pictures wasn't new, i already knew the most of them. A lot of sketches but few drawings, details or thoughts about Piano's work. The book could be excellent but it is just good.

This is a really nice book. Fantastic pictures covering a lot of his work.