photo by INNOARCHITECTURE
The eminent curator Norman Rosenthal had his say on the Shard this week. To Rosenthal, it is the most beautiful building put up in London since St Paul’s and its critics – he quotes me and Simon Jenkins – are hidebound stick-in-the-muds who just do not appreciate the genius of Renzo Piano.
I am sorry to disappoint Rosenthal but I’ve seen plenty of Renzo Piano’s works around the world. I like and admire them. I know enough about him to wonder why he has abandoned his own delicate sense of scale and space in his assault on London. Why has he departed so violently from the civilised standards I associate with his architecture?
White and calm outside, it creates a soothing, contemplative, space inside. It contrasts beautifully with the characterless forest of glass towers at the heart of Houston. It is an environmentally radical building that seeks to renew the neighbourhood around it.
In Genoa, Italy, another of my favourite buildings by Renzo Piano can be found in the riviera city’s old harbour. It is the most beautiful aquarium in the world, a wonderful succession of spaces next to the sea.