Centre Pompidou
Mini-Bite! This means this article mainly includes an overview of the structure, fun facts, and some other resources if you are interested in learning more about it!
Centre Pompidou - known as the Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou, it is a complex structure in the heart of Paris.
The building is composed of 10 levels of 7,500m2 each. The focus of this design was flexibility, so the building could host a variety of activities. To maximize uninterrupted floor area the structural framing, lifts and escalators, and all systems (ventilation, electricity, and water) were placed on exterior part of the building, and this also how this project inherits its industrial look. Unlike most buildings we visit, we can easily see the skeleton of the Centre Pompidou with our bare eyes, and clearly follow how each element keeps this structure running.
Each function is in fact color coded:
· Blue for air flow
· Yellow for electricity
· Green for water
· Red for pedestrian flow (escalators and elevators)
White seems to be the color for structural elements such as columns, beams, and trusses. The building framing is made of steel and in some areas, it showcases impressive 48m spans (distance between columns). To give you some perspective, distances like this are very rare in multi-story buildings and are lengths you would mainly see in bridges or stadiums. Super cool for a nerd like me and hopefully you too!
Opened: 1977
Accommodations: Bibliothèque Publique d'Information, Kandinsky Library, Musée national d’art moderne, two screening rooms, one conference room, performance theater, and temporary exhibition space
Engineers: Peter Rice and Edmund Happold of Ove Arup and Partners (now Arup)
Architects: Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers
Bibliography
Arup (n.d.). Centre Pompidou: creating an inside-out machine age masterpiece. Retrieved from: Arup: https://www.arup.com/projects/centre-pompidou
Centre Pompidou (n.d.). Our Building. Retrieved from Centre Pompidou: https://www.centrepompidou.fr/en/collections/our-building
Crook, L. (2019, November 5). Centre Pompidou is high-tech architecture's inside-out landmark. Retrieved from Dezeen: https://www.dezeen.com/2019/11/05/centre-pompidou-piano-rogers-high-tech-architecture/
Lonely Planet (n.d.). Lonely Planet. Retrieved from Centre Pompidou: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/paris/louvre-and-les-halles/attractions/centre-pompidou/a/poi-sig/372153/1322719
Wikipedia (2022, May 7). Centre Pompidou. Retrieved from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centre_Pompidou