(en) Renzo Piano was born and raised in Genoa, Italy, in a family of builders. His grandfather founded a construction business, which was later expanded by his father, Carlo Piano, and Carlo’s three brothers into the company Fratelli Piano. The company thrived after World War II, building housing, factories, and selling construction materials. When his father retired, the company was run by Renzo’s brother, Ermanno, who had studied engineering at the University of Genoa. Renzo studied architecture at the University of Florence and the Polytechnic University of Milan. He graduated in 1964 with a thesis on modular coordination (coordinazione modulare) under the supervision of Giuseppe Ciribini, and began working with experimental light structures and basic shelters.