Spirit of Nature

This book evidences the essential works of Renzo Piano, how he uses wood in architecture, of the last two decades. The book only contains built projects, the latest of which is the Tjibaou Cultural Centre in New Caledonia, a highly-publicized and distinctive wooden building. The book has been prepared together with Renzo Piano¹s practice which provided both the visual material and the written descriptions for each project. The eight projects featured in the book are from differing decades and from all over the globe: the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre (New Caledonia), the Renzo Piano Building Workshop (Genoa, Italy), the Prometeo Musical Space (Venice and Milan, Italy), the IBM Travelling Pavilion (dismantled), the Menil Collection Museum (Houston, Texas), the Columbus International Exposition ¹92 (Genoa, Italy), the Lingotto Auditorium (Turin, Italy) and the Beyeler Foundation Museum (Riehen, Switzerland). Architect Renzo Piano is the first winner of the Spirit of Nature Wood Architecture Award. "His design work, spanning over four decades, evidences a consistent body of work characterized by simplicity, natural structural logic and careful attention to detail. All this, combined with a deep understanding of each brief, site and cultural context lifts Renzo Piano into the group of great architects", says architect Rainer Mahlamäki, chairman of the jury. The excellent illustrations convey the essence of Renzo Piano¹s architecture, described by Glenn Murcutt, Australian architect and member of the jury, as follows: "Piano¹s architecture is technologically innovative, elegant, light, often transparent, legible and simple, balanced with modern building systems and capabilities. The work incorporates a composite of materials such as wood with metals and fabrics making often remarkable conjunctions that ensure their forms reveal the purpose and nature of each element developed