Renzo Piano to build in Valletta

Renzo Piano, the Italian architect who designed the New York Times building and co-designed Paris’ Pompidou Center, is set to build a new gateway to Valletta, the capital of Malta, and rebuild the city’s opera house, which was bombed in 1942.

The two projects will cost between $76 million and $101 million and take about four years to complete, Maltese Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said.

The former opera house will be reconstructed to serve as the new parliament building. The projects are part of a plan for the regeneration of Valletta that also involves refurbishing the city’s palaces and forts, Gonzi said.