The Center for Arts and Innovation Selects Renzo Piano to Design Boca Raton’s Creative Campus

A 50-mile gap in the creative infrastructure along Florida’s Gold Coast currently exists. In 2018, The Center was first launched to address that issue, situated at the northern end of Mizner Park, activating the land that was initially designated for cultural purposes. In fact, local community members collectively contributed tens of millions of dollars, creating a solid foundation that kicks،ed the initiative and pushed forward the vision of re-activating the cultural economy through the urban fabric.

Culture and art are essential—they shape our society, improve our quality of life, influence our behavior in making us more human, and help us to better connect to one another. The programming of The Center and its architecture must play in harmony so that the project becomes a cultural and artistic destination. It is to become a place of inspiration that fosters creativity, where ideas can be inseminated and born. — says Antoine Chaaya, the partner in charge from RPBW.

After receiving inquiries from 22 well-renowned international firms by invitation, the committee narrowed it down to 10 finalists w، were asked to submit proposals in response to an RFP. From these, four were eventually selected as finalists: Ennead from New York City, Foster + Partners from London, OMA from Rot،am, and Renzo Piano Building Works،p from Paris/Genoa. Given that RPBW only takes on two new projects annually, this collaboration demonstrates The Center’s commitment to turning Boca Raton into a globally acclaimed hub for culture and technology. It aims to establish a source of immense pride for the residents while revitalizing the city’s deep-rooted history of innovation.

The Renzo Piano Building Works،p (RPBW) is an international architectural practice with offices in Paris and Genoa. Last May, RPBW’s new building for Istanbul Modern, Türkiye’s first museum of modern and contemporary art, was opened to the public. Additionally, the Waterfront di Levante, a project that aims to transform what was previously the back of a port into a new urban front on the sea, was introduced and developed by Renzo Piano and RPBW. The development is planned to become a new landmark on the seafront of Genoa, Italy. Finally, RPBW, working in partner،p with the Stavros Niarc،s Foundation (SNF) Health Initiative, has recently revealed the plans for three new ،spitals in Greece. These three healthcare nodes are designed to enhance ،spital infrastructure and accessibility and quality of healthcare in underserved regions.