Architecture not juast a building, is much more than building.

Is poetry, beauty,
community, society, humanis. The end of the day architecture is the art to make
solid building, good solid shelter for human beings, this is what architect to do. The
force of necessity can guide you to beauty, magic, lightness, poetry, but you still be
a good builder. This is the profile about the architect
How many people working on your office?
About 50 people. Come from under 30 under 40 under 60 and come back. 12
partners, 15-16 associates,
Office location
We have two office, one is in paris the biggest, one office in Genoa, smaller office in
new York
How do you select the project you work?
We dont take to much, we are very privilege person, more like freedom, we
privilege to be able to select what we want to do, we are not obligate, we are not
struggling, starving to do anything, we are quite difficult to accepting. This is not
arrogance this is really because we believe in value of architecture as art of making
place of people, so we dont take everything so we just take what we really love to
do.
What is architecture?
Architecture means the art of making shelter for human being. This is the one of the
profession in the world the man, the human, community need protection so this is
where the start. But, we realized quickly as never been a practical activity. Even the
most humble hat has a story to tell. This is semantic idea, this is the desire to show
something to celebrate or to represent yourself. Sometimes you celebrate power,
money, arrogance, and normally thats make a bad architecture. Sometime not bad
but very disturbing architecture. Is much nicer when you celebrating better like a
tolerance, being together, enjoying the same joy, education, music. Architecture is
the art of answering practical need and in the same time is the art of answering
desire(dream) . Looks like contradiction but is not true. It answer necessity and
desire (to make it not flat)

Part 2
What should be the role of architecs in our society?
Grew up in 60s, architect is somebody who changing the world. To become an
architect you have to walking in the street, talk to people, you have to understand
desire, dreams, and you grew up with insane idea that bt ding it you can change the
world. And then you growing up you understand is not that insane. It is not true that

dreams are impossible.we have been working on in the right moment that
something got to changing in the culture. They are intimidating, dustedplaces,
empty, then we made something. Not because the thing we made but because is
the right moment to switch and to change. If you want to be an architect you need
some vision you need utopia. Utopia is not necessary wrong is not necessary
impossible. Its kinda realistic utopia that you can built. You need a lot of energy, you
need a lot of strength, you need good group of people to work it. You need around
you favor? And this make possibility to chaeng the world.
What is the importance of innovation in your office?
DNA of somebody who was born during the war (renzo piano) because you young
people dont understand that when you born during the war, I was born 1937 the
war start abou that time. At 1945 the war finish. And you grew up after that you
become a man. In the constant feeling that everydays better than the day before it
cleaner. It something build optimism and this is the part of the story of somebody. Is
a bound to the feeling that you can do things better all the time. And also this is
about rebellion. When you 18,20, 24 the best way to find yourself is trhough
rebellion is the cheapest way. A rebellion is againts something that usually you can
do. Let me try better. If you see the construction of cathedral 13th, 14th century
theres a black hole in the history between roman and the middle age, but
otherwise you see a roman with the arches and then gothic by using the
force of gravity to all the building and then reinassence and then baroque.
take a view some of baroquemini (idk) how can you say that its old.
Boromini will always a fantastic. Every century has something to tell thing
that 19th century they invented the steel, and that was incredible, that
was 19th century. 20th century is difficult for me to say what has been
inspiring the elemental of 20th century. I guess globalization, I guess flying
all over around the world, I guess learning language, but settling for the
21th century I think will be energy and sustainablility. Im pretty sure that
young people should look at that not like an obligation but more like a
great opportunity to build up a new language. Talk about the California
science for me, is was not a sad story to put earth, grass on the roof. It
was a good story, fantastic story. Trying to find those pieces that can
survive without watering, just by using the humidity of the night in San
fransisco was a good fantastic story to tell. Creating space like this, that
use breeze that capture breeze to come inside all this was not really a
negative attitude. Oh shit I have to be carefull about energy, is oh my god
thanks god I have a new force of necessity that give me the direction to
god.

Review part 3
What is the importance of networking for your work?

Infrastructure is important, because an office like a family and it is like an

infrastructure, it is like street for the city, it is like a system that walks. And its not
just practical, just about organizing, travelling or flying, is also affection most of the
people in the office I know than since the beginning of life a profession of life we
are like a family. This may sound a bit romanric, bit Italian. But, not it just the casing
to understand each other very picky/quicly. I talk to people sometime we need
only 3 minutes instead of 3 hours or 3 days. The people you even can talk 3 years
and does work. But, you know this for me I can call continuity. The fact that those
people we work together sience ever. The other things probably size. The right size
between 100-150 people no more than 150. But nobody tell me the truth. You know
the name each one then you recognize each one.
How is your relationship with clients?
We only have a good relationship because if we dont have a good relationship we
dont do the job. And this is what I call freedom, is not arrogance. You know is
impossible to make a good job without a good client. Impossible because soon only
you got in trouble. Sometime we still do the job because when you start the job you
dont quit the job. A bit like those younglead that get pregnant and they dont care
about who is the guy, they only care about the baby. But, normally we understand
before getting pregnant.
From your experience, what can you tell us about running an architecture
office?
Is not easy. You need a bit of luck, you need a lot of energy, but is worth trying. The
best way to get together in group of people because energy gives multiply people
should make competition. It depend from where you look, but the competition are
the soul and the paper of profession. When we are young people myself, Richard
rogers was 33 old. Richard rogers 3 years older but we got no work and we made
the competition for George pompidou and then we won. And then we took
competition all time. Education also to keep yourself humble enough, to understand
nothing is set up but principle by power. We have to accept to be judge. In my age
is not easy because you feel sometime you dont want to fall in love with something
that can run away you know. But in the sametime we have to accept humility and
maybe the humiliation as well to lose a competition. And this is something tou have
to do. You know the truth sometime, the failure are more important than success.
Especially not when you are young, but when you are settle evelope of success. If
you dont accept failure and you just have success, if you dont accept critics even
the most irritating, you become selfreferred. And everybody around tell you how
good you are and is then. For the young guy my most important suggestion to beat
to stay together not 50 people but 2 or 3 that give strength to people. And then try
to make competition. Then to travel, you travel because travelling is a new
dimension of life today. When I was young architect myself, going away for me tell
you was like immigrating. Today no more like immigrating, today you just travel, and

you go on. Travelling and economic back on. Im a kind of global citizen, but it is still
feel like a little guy born in Genowa by the sea. I never lost my route, my real
attachment. This is something I think young people not to forget. so they have to
travel but without betray their routes their memories.