Renzo Piano exhibition, Royal Academy

From the Pompidou Centre in Paris to the towering Shard in London, the buildings of Italian architect Renzo Piano populate and enrich cities around the world.

As part of The Royal Academy's 250th celebrations, the Starchitect gets a solo show. Renzo Piano marks 50 years of the architect's pioneering work, and celebrates the enlightening vision and talent of one of the greatest architects working today.

Renowned for his collaborative working philosophy and his preoccupation with light, transparency and natural beauty, Piano's buildings have an incomparable ability to breathe freshness into dense urban landscapes.

But Piano's philosophy extends far beyond the aesthetic. 'Everything we do', says Giorgio Bianchi, a partner at RPBW, 'is for people. It is so that people can get the most out of a building, be it a museum, a theater, or a residential space. Behind everything is a wish to communicate that this space is for people. In Italian we say ‘Uno Spazio per la Gente’.

In this comprehensive retrospective, rarely seen drawings, models and signature full-scale maquettes of some of Piano's most famous structures will trace Piano's impressive career trajectory, influential industry friendships, and highlight the ways in which the Renzo Piano Building Workshop meticulously designs buildings 'piece by piece'.

Renzo Piano is, with out a doubt, one of our highlights of the 2018 design calendar.