Piano discusses challenges facing his Cambridge project

on Wednesday,April 08,2009 21:04

Architect Renzo Piano has been chosen to renovate the Fogg Art Museum in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the project is anything but straightforward.

Last month, the prize-winning architect talked to an audience at the Sanders Theater about the challenges of redesigning the museum in conjunction with surrounding historic buildings, according to the Harvard Crimson.

"It''s going to be the greatest challenge you can think about, because it''s … about social integration, about sustainability, about identity," he said, quoted by the newspaper.

The report quoted Harvard University Art Museums director of communications as saying that Piano''s renovation will preserve the historic elements of the 1927 Fogg Museum''s original building while adding a new wing to the museum.

Meanwhile, Piano has been keeping busy with numerous other projects around the world.

He has recently been tapped to rebuild the gateway to the Maltese capital Valletta and design its Opera House.

His team has also been commissioned to design the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, housing the National Library of Greece and the Greek National Opera, both set within the Stavros Niarchos Park in Athens.

Construction work has also begun on London''s 1,000 feet Shard of Glass designed by Piano which will be Western Europe''s tallest building.