Centre Georges Pompidou
 Centre Georges Pompidou Paris Elevation | |
| Building | |
|---|---|
| Type | Museum & Library |
| Architectural Style | High-Tech Modern |
| Structural System | Concrete frame & precast concrete ribbed roof |
| Location | Paris, France |
| Construction | |
| Completed | 1977 |
| Design Team | |
| Architect | Renzo Piano & Richard Rogers |
| Structural engineer | Ove Arup & Partners |
| Services engineer | Ove Arup & Partners |
Centre Georges Pompidou (constructed 1971–1977 and known as the Pompidou Centre in English) is a complex in the Beaubourg area of the IVe arrondissement of Paris, near Les Halles and the Marais. It houses the Bibliothèque publique d'information, a vast public library, the Musée National d'Art Moderne, and IRCAM, a centre for music and acoustic research. Because of its location, the Centre is known locally as Beaubourg. It is named after Georges Pompidou, who was president of France from 1969 to 1974, and was opened on January 31, 1977.
Contents |
Architecture
The Centre was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, the British architect couple Richard Rogers and Sue Rogers, and the British structual engineer Edmund Happold (who would later found Buro Happold) and Irish structural engineer Peter Rice. The project was awarded to this team in a design competition, whose results were announced in 1971. Reporting on Rogers' winning the Pritzker Prize in 2007, the New York Times noted that the design of the Centre "turned the architecture world upside down" and that "Mr. Rogers earned a reputation as a high-tech iconoclast with the completion of the 1977 Pompidou Center, with its exposed skeleton of brightly colored tubes for mechanical systems. The Pompidou 'revolutionized museums,' the Pritzker jury said, 'transforming what had once been elite monuments into popular places of social and cultural exchange, woven into the heart of the city. The characteristic piping is color-coded according to the contents: yellow for electricity, red for transport(elevators), blue for air, and green for water'"[1].
Construction
The Centre was built by GTM and completed in 1977[2].
Stravinsky Fountain
The nearby Stravinsky Fountain (also called the Fontaine des automates), features works by Jean Tinguely and Niki de Saint-Phalle. Video footage of the fountain appeared frequently throughout the French language telecourse, French in Action.
Place Georges Pompidou
The Place Georges Pompidou in front of the museum is noted for the presence of street performers, such as mimes and jugglers.
Public transport
- Nearby Métro stations: Rambuteau, Les Halles
- RER Châtelet - Les Halles
Gallery
 Street artist in front of the Centre |
References
External liks
- Official website
- Video about the Centre Pompidou
- Bibliothèque publique d'information website
- Paris Pages — Musée National d'Art Moderne
- Photographs
- Photographs
- Visiting Information
- Photographs of Beaubourg and district
- Centre Georges Pompidou is at coordinates Coordinates:
Popular visitor attractions in Paris | |
|---|---|
| Arc de Triomphe • Basilica of the Sacré Cœur • Cathedral of Notre Dame • Centre Georges Pompidou • Champs-Élysées • Conciergerie • Eiffel Tower • Grand Palais • Jardin du Luxembourg • Les Invalides • Louvre • Musée d'Orsay • Opéra Garnier • Père Lachaise Cemetery |  |
