By Vimal S. Konduri

Architect Renzo Piano outlined the trials and triumphs of designing the new Harvard Art Museums building, speaking to a packed Piper Auditorium Thursday evening. Piano, who also designed The Shard in London and the The New York Times Building in Manhattan, discussed his work on the Harvard Art Museums with museum director Thomas W. Lentz and Columbia University architecture professor Kenneth Frampton in a conversation immediately after his lecture.

The event, titled "How Did You Do It, Mr. Piano?", coincided with the student opening of the Art Museums, which have been under renovation since 2008 and are opening to the public on Nov. 16. Piano drew particular attention to the new interior courtyard of the Fogg museum, noting that the original design drew inspiration from the Italian town of Montepulciano. Piano also likened the revamped, new courtyard to an Italian piazza.

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Source: http://www.thecrimson.com/