Renzo Piano Sends a Signal of Hope

Renzo Piano calls this temporary light installation at his bridge-building site in Genoa “a symbolic light of hope for the country and for Genoa.” Over a distance of around one kilometre, laser beams in the shades of the Italian tricolour illuminate the building site of the highway bridge. The coloured beams, which can be seen for far and wide, are intended as a symbol in the time of covid-19. They offer both an appeal to solidarity and encouragement not only to the Genovese in particular, but to Italians in general.

Safety and Future

In heavy traffic on 14 August 2018, Genoa’s Morandi Bridge collapsed onto a densely built-up district of the port city. At the time, it was considered one of Italy’s greatest disasters. In January of last year, the City of Genoa decided to rebuild the bridge according to a design by Renzo Piano. The native Genovese architect won a design competition against rivals such as Santiago Calatrava. Piano’s brightly painted steel construction will be built in collaboration with the Salini Impreglio construction firm and the state-controlled enterprises Fincantieri and ItalFerr. The new bridge will cost 202 million euros; in the competition, it prevailed thanks to its austere clarity and focus on safety.

Symbolic Bridge-Building

Right from the start, Pritzker Prize winner Renzo Piano has refused to accept any payment; he sees the building project as a donation to his home town. Along with the latest light installation, the bridge architecture is a symbol in these difficult times of the coronavirus.