Renzo Piano
Franzen Lecture on Architecture and the Environment
October 30, 2006
The Ulrich Franzen Lecture on Architecture and the Environment is an annual invited lecture by an international figure whose work has significant implications for architecture and the environment.
On October 30, 2006, Renzo Piano gave the inaugural presentation of this new series at the Cooper Union. This podcast is an excerpt of his lecture, with introduction by League President Calvin Tsao. During his lecture, Piano reflected on his first major commission, with Richard Rogers, to build the Centre Georges Pompidou in 1971, as well as his work on the urban regeneration of Otranto in 1979. In keeping with the lecture’s special designation, Piano discussed various brownfield remediation sites, such as his work on the Schlumberger renovation in Montrogue and the master plan for the redevelopment of the Genoa Old Harbor. Among other projects then under development, Piano touched on plans for the London Bridge Tower (a.k.a. “the Shard”) and the New York Times Building, commenting in both cases on the extensive environmental considerations that had been integrated into the designs.