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Renzo Piano Building Workshop

Genoa / Italy

Perched on the slopes of a hill above the sea, Punta Nave houses the Genoa headquarters of the Renzo Piano Building Workshop.

An aerial view of a large room filled with furniture and plants
© FRP, ph. Fregoso & Basalto
 

 
 

The building recalls the shapes of the greenhouses typical along the terraced Ligurian coastline.Composed for the most part of a single volume, the internal space steps down the hillside in a series of terraces, under a sloping glass roof.

 
On a hill facing the sea, the workshop is composed by a sequence of terraces housed under a glazed and louvered roof that modulates the light - the connection to nature and landscape is explicit
A large red building is sitting on top of a hill next to a body of water
© FRP, ph. Stefano Goldberg / PUBLIFOTO Genova
A black and white drawing of a city with trees and buildings
© FRP, ph. Shunji Ishida
An aerial view of a house on a hill near the ocean
© FRP, ph. Studio fotografico Merlo fotografia aerea
A black and white drawing of a building and trees
© FRP
 

 

Zenithal light plays a major role: levels of natural light inside the building are regulated by a light-responsive system of exterior louvers.

It is a black and white drawing of a building
© FRP
The roof of a building with a lot of windows is lit up at night
© FRP, ph. Fregoso & Basalto
A room with a glass ceiling and a table with books on it
© FRP, ph. Fregoso & Basalto
A black and white drawing of a building on a hill
© FRP
A man is sitting at a table in a glass office
© Gianni Berengo Gardin
A man is sitting at a desk in an office surrounded by trees
© FRP, ph. Stefano Goldberg
A group of people are working in a woodworking shop
© FRP, ph. Stefano Goldberg
A wooden wall with a lot of tools on it
© FRP, ph. Fregoso & Basalto

Project Details

Status

1989 - 1991

Client

Renzo Piano Building Workshop

Design

Renzo Piano Building Workshop, architects

Design Team

M.Cattaneo (architect in charge), S.Ishida (partner), M.Lusetti, F.Marano, M.Nouvion with M.Carroll, O.Di Blasi, R.V.Truffelli, M.Varratta and D.Cavagna (models)

Consultants

A.Bellini, L.Gattoronchieri (soil engineers); P.Costa (structure); M.Desvigne (landscaping); E.Trabella (planting); C.Di Bartolo (bionic research)

Discover more

Renzo PIano is sitting in front of a wall that displays a multitude of architectural models
 
Workshop / People

Renzo Piano

 
Journal / undefined / 07 June 2024

Documentary: Inside Renzo Piano Building Workshop