Page 56 - Studio International - May June 1975

Centre Pompidou

A cultural information and entertainment centre—Paris

Architects: Piano a Rogers

The Centre answers a wide variety of
2
needs for the specialist tourist and
those who live in the neighbourhood.
The Department of Plastic Arts consists
of some 200,000 square feet of floor area,
excluding the piazza terraces and the
façades, which have been specifically,
designed and serviced for extension of
these activities.
The following art departments will be
moved into the centre :
The Museum of Modern Art
Showing the evolution of art during the
20th century.
The National Centre of
Contemporary Art
Showing the work of lesser known and
experimental artists.
Documentation of Modern and
Contemporary Art
1 West elevation of model 3
with catalogues, manuscripts, posters,
2 Interior showing movable floors
audio visual documentation backed by a
3 Interior showing movable screens
computer classification system.
4 Plan view of model Cinematheque —
Industrial Design Centre
will present products showing technical
and visual quality.
Public Forum and Exhibition Space
The superstructure consists of five floors
of column-free totally uninterrupted
4 space, 500 feet by 1,700 feet; the size of
two football fields. Each floor is highly
serviced by an exposed accessible system
of ducts, gantrys, movable mezzanines
running under the ceiling between 9-foot
deep tubular beams. Further services run
under the computer floor. There are
unique views across Paris and a wide
variety of other activities are included
and encouraged — shops, restaurants,
libraries, children's areas, community
areas etc., so that the Centre becomes a
public event the greater the public
involvement — the greater its success.
Piano & Rogers
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