Renzo Piano was born in Genoa (Italy) on September 14, 1937. He graduated in 1964 from the school of Architecture of the Milan Polytechnic. As a student, he was working under the design guidance of Franco Albini, while also regularly attending his father's building sites where he got valuable practical experience. Between 1985 and 1970, he completed his formation and work experiments with study travels in Britain and America.

It was at that time that he met Jean Prouve: their friendship would have a deep influence on his professional life. In 1971, he founded the "Piano & Rogers" agency with Richard Rogers, his partner on the Centre Pompidou project in Paris. In 1977, he founded "l'Atelier Piano & Rice" with offices in Paris and Genoa. Some 100 people work with him (among which architects, in close connection with some associated architects, linked to him by years of experience.