The horizontal ceramic rods which veil the recently completed New York Times Building provided an ideal opportunity for urban climbers to get media attention for their causes; for French “spiderman” Alain Robert, this was to protest global warming. The building’s architect, Renzo Piano, described the spate of climbing as an “inappropriate use of the building”, and designed modifications to prevent future climbs.  The lowest ceramic rods have been removed, and glass panels installed to render the facade inaccessible from the ground.  Alain Robert is a French climber, popularly known as “”.  He has climbed buildings all around the world, including the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower. The Renzo Piano Building Workshop is based in Genoa and Paris.