It's no exaggeration to say that Renzo Piano is one of the most unanimously respected architects in the world of architecture. With an oeuvre that blends respect for context, lightness and technology to create environmentally conscious and aesthetically pleasing structures, his approach combines advanced materials with traditional techniques. In projects of various scales, the Genoese architect maintains an essential thread: the implementation of passive architectural strategies, highlighting the importance of these methods for sustainability and energy efficiency. This is often made explicit in his sketches, as an initial concern, and clearly comes through in the finished works. Here are some examples of iconic projects developed by his office in recent decades.
Featured Six Columns House / 31/44 Architects
Dragon Mountain Tourist Center / Aurelien Chen
Architecture Inspiring Fashion: Villa Malaparte, the Eiffel Tower, and Louis Kahn’s Salk Institute Host Runway Shows
Beyond serving as mere backdrops for fashion shows, architecture often influences fashion collections, contributing spatially to their storytelling, offering material inspiration, and showcasing the connection between structure and shape. As both disciplines revolve around form, structure, and the human experience, architecture, and fashion share a strong connection, one often explored by creators in both fields. From meticulous tailoring and structural designs that mimic architectural lines, contours, and volumes, to architecture taking cues from how fashion works with the human shape, this interplay can create multidimensional experiences for the enthusiasts of both high fashion and architecture.
On June 10, French brand Jacquemus, known for its minimalist designs with surrealist touches, chose to celebrate its 15th anniversary with an exclusive runway show at Villa Malaparte. The location, usually inaccessible for this type of event, has made another exception for Saint Laurent, who featured it as the backdrop of its 2018 spring campaign starring Kate Moss.
House of Countless Windows / fala
Addressing Racism in Sports Through Immersive Architectural Design: Yinka Ilori Imagines Reflective Pavilion for Haus der Kulturen der Welt in Berlin, Germany
British-Nigerian multi-disciplinary artist and designer Yinka Ilori MBE has designed a pavilion as part of Haus der Kulturen der Welt’s (HKW) festival in Berlin. The festival, titled Ballet of the Masses - On Football and Catharsis, initiated an annual pavilion in 2023, and this year’s pavilion dresses intricate questions of coexistence through its materiality and form. Part of the Shaped to the Measure of the People’s Songs architectural series, Yinka Illori’s pavilion crafts a spatial proposition that explores complex themes of racism in sports and personal accountability.
Harnessing Thermal Mass for Sustainable Living: 4 Residential Projects in the U.S. Deserts
Thermal mass is the ability of a material to absorb, store, and release heat. Used to moderate building temperatures by reducing fluctuations, the concept is crucial in improving energy efficiency. Materials with relatively high thermal mass, such as stone, concrete, rammed earth, and brick, can absorb significant heat during the day and release it slowly when temperatures drop at night, reducing the need for heating and cooling systems. Properties like heat capacity, thermal conductivity, and density are all considered when assessing the thermal mass property of a material.
Los Mangos Community Center / Entorno y Contexto
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Architects: Entorno y Contexto
- Area: 76316 ft²
- Year: 2024
Medium in Kami-Ikebukuro Community Center / mtthw
People Pavilion, Elevated Ground / sp/n
Aluminum Grotto and Public Ground / HAS design and research
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Architects: HAS design and research
- Area: 180 m²
- Year: 2024
Old Yacht Club / Elliott Architects
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Architects: Elliott Architects
- Area: 2064 ft²
- Year: 2022
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Manufacturers: A. E. Sampson, Artemide, Original BTC, Lotus, Chapman & Myers, Columbia, Nora Lighting, Astro Lighting, Klus, Vipp, Hafele, Tecnoline, Tectus, RocYork, Pemko, Henderson, Emtek, HookyZero, Saint Louis Designs, Marvin , Schuco, +1
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Professionals: Richardson & Associates, Thornton Tomasetti, Peter Knuppel Lighting Design, Hewes & Co.
Bananeira Apartment / Angá Arquitetura + Estúdio Pedro Luna
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Architects: Angá Arquitetura, Estúdio Pedro Luna
- Area: 133 m²
- Year: 2022
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Manufacturers: Artesão Jair Monteiro, Atec - Herman Miller, Bernardo Figueiredo, Breve Cerâmica, By Kamy, +27
From Lowering Embodied Carbon to Super-Slim Solutions: What Is the Future of Insulation?
Insulation plays an essential role in today’s buildings—whether it is to provide thermal efficiency to reduce energy demand and cut carbon emissions, or to reduce noise transmission to provide acoustic comfort. Every building has different requirements for the type of insulation needed in floors, roofs, ceilings and walls, and to meet these varying demands Kingspan has developed a range of holistic insulation solutions fit for the future of the built environment.
From lower embodied carbon products to bio-based materials, reducing environmental impact is an area of increasing importance. Meanwhile, the pressing need to upgrade the thermal efficiency of existing buildings often demands insulation technologies that can work with existing structures without requiring excessive thickness. For cladding systems, reaction to fire can be every bit as important as thermal conductivity, and for acoustic panels that form part of the internal décor, aesthetics is as crucial as sound absorption.