Georges Pompidou Center

Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano, to meet the challenge posed to the architects, designed a building in the form of a giant Meccano, which immediately stood out in the Parisian architectural landscape. The architectural project, as described in the competition rules, had to meet the requirements of multidisciplinarity, free movement and open exhibition spaces. This competition was won by two young architects, the Italian Renzo Piano and the Briton Richard Rogers, by proposing a building in the spirit of libertarian architecture characteristic of the 1960s. The load-bearing structure and circulation, the escalator caterpillar for example, are rejected outside, leaving all the space for museum and activity spaces. Moored to the outside on the east façade, and used as cladding for the structure, the technical ducts stand out in four colors: blue for air, green for fluids, yellow for electrical ducts and red for circulation. The transparency of the main facade to the west allows observation of the life of the Centre from the piazza, a vast esplanade wanted by the architects as a place of continuity between the city and the institution.