Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Telling the next chapter of Renzo Piano Building Workshop through a digital presence that looks beyond legacy
About the Project
The Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW) is a renowned international architectural practice known for its innovative, human-centered and technologically advanced designs. The firm has been responsible for some of the world’s most iconic structures, including The Shard in London, Centre Pompidou in Paris and The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York.
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RPBW approached Unthinkable Digital with a desire to tell a new story that reflected the evolving nature of the organisation and its vision for the future. The website needed to express a complex shift in identity as RPBW begins to look beyond the legacy of Renzo Piano and imagine what lies ahead.
Role and Process
Design Highlights
Following the initial discovery phase, Unthinkable brought me in to take the visual lead on designing the final website experience. Working closely with both Unthinkable and RPBW, I helped create a digital presence that captures this moment of transition, one that honours the past while creating space for the future.
The aim was to showcase not only the beauty of RPBW’s iconic buildings, but also the process, the thinking, and the people behind them. In collaboration with Daniel Jackson (development) and Eleanor Herzog (copywriting), I designed a website that presents RPBW’s projects and architectural expertise in a way that reflects their innovative and timeless design philosophy.
We reviewed and discussed the designs with the RPBW team and iterated based on the feedback received. As the final layout included technically challenging elements, thorough functional testing was essential. The developed designs were assessed by the QA team, and following their feedback, Daniel and I made adjustments across various viewports to ensure the website functioned as intended.
Immersive Video Landing
Visitors are welcomed with an immersive video that sets the stage for discovery, drawing them into the world of Renzo Piano. Much like the workshop's architecture, the experience is designed to be captivating and guides the viewer through light, movement, and space. This dynamic introduction echoes the essence of their work, where storytelling and structure come together. Each time the website is opened, a different project takes centre stage. A link in the top right corner allows users to navigate to the dedicated project page.
Immersive video on homepage
Discovery Grid
In the Discovery Grid, each card informs the position of the next, creating a dynamic visual rhythm that echoes the structured harmony of architecture. This intentional flow mirrors the way the workshop engages with space in their designs. Each element thoughtfully placed, contributing to a greater whole. The result is an organic yet precise layout that embodies the balance of form and function, much like their architectural masterpieces.
Curated example of the discovery grid
Project filtering
To improve discoverability and create a more user-centred browsing experience, I restructured the project filtering system from 29 highly specific categories into 8 broader, purpose-driven groups. This allowed for more intuitive navigation and better reflected how users explore architecture, focusing on function and context rather than the very specific technical typology. The new system also supports multi-category tagging, so projects like mixed-use towers can appear in both Residential and Commercial filters where appropriate.
Streamlined project filters
Editorial Project Layouts
Each project page was designed using a modular layout system that combines photography, descriptive text, architectural drawings and timeline data. This approach supports both visual storytelling and clear information delivery, allowing each project to be explored in a structured yet engaging way.
Example of project page