Centre Pompidou
By: Michael Lalauze
The centre Pompidou, an art, leisure, and culture center was constructed in Paris, France and finished in 1977. It bared the name of the current president of France at that time who wanted to create an original institution in the heart of this wonderful city. It had a peculiar manner of construction. Its architectural style was considered postmodern and hi-tech. The structural system was a steel configuration with reinforced concrete floors. The architects were Renzo piano and Richard Rogers. The structural engineers and service engineers were Ove Arup & Partners.
It was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, the British architect couple Richard Rogers and Sue Rogers, Gianfranco Franchini, the British structural engineer Edmund Happold and Irish structural engineer Peter Rice. The project was awarded to this team in an architectural design competition, whose results were announced in 1971. The Pritzker jury said the Pompidou “revolutionized museums, transforming what had once been elite monuments into popular places of social and cultural exchange, woven into the heart of the city”. All of the functional structural elements of the building are color-coded: green pipes are plumbing, blue ducts are for climate control, and electrical wires are encased in yellow, and circulation elements and devices for safety. The pipes and large chimneys on the back of the edifice, and the see-through escalator are the main characteristics of the structure. The structure is constructed out of transparent glass.
When the building was erected, the public opinion of the building was divided. Some thought it looked like a chemical plant or oil drill because...