Renzo Piano's recent addition to the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York is of interest in its own right because it radically alters the experience at one of the city's most appealing and unique institutions. But it is also worth considering, Jayne Merkel argues, because Piano is now working on more major museums than any architect in the world. At the Morgan, he subtly transformed a magnificent Renaissance Revival private library into a full-fledged modern museum with fine facilities for displaying parts of the collection and making its resources available to scholars. The old parts look as magnificent as ever, though they are now somewhat side-lined. The new parts are strong and elegant. The two are daringly juxtaposed, and the planning for 14,028 square metres (151,000 square feet) of facilities that more than doubles the size of the whole on part of a cramped Manhattan block is skilful.
