Chapter 1
The wild contest that shocked Paris
Chapter 2
Reading the color-coded pipes
Chapter 3
The giant caterpillar escalator
Chapter 4
From eyesore to icon
YOUR GOAL
Master of The building that wore its guts on the outside
Ch 1 · The wild contest that shocked Paris
choko Centre Pompidou Design Competition
First time they let the world compete! (Let 'em compete!) And young outsiders took the prize so sweet! (Oh yeah, so sweet!)
choko In 1969, President Georges Pompidou planned a radical Paris cultural center in Beaubourg to unite books, music, and modern art.
choko The Pompidou Center placed its structural supports and utility pipes on the exterior
BETA
choko Connect the colorful external pipes to discover why the Pompidou Center looks inside out.
Fun Fact
Winning on a whim: Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers entered the contest because they thought they had zero chance of winning.
Glossary
competition (noun)
An event or contest in which people compete to establish supremacy or win a prize. In 1971, Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers won the international design competition for Paris's future Centre Pompidou.
An event or contest in which people compete to establish supremacy or win a prize. In 1971, Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers won the international design competition for Paris's future Centre Pompidou.
Quiz
Which city had overtaken Paris as the global capital of modern art by the mid-20th century, prompting the creation of the Pompidou?
Quiz
Which French President initiated the project that would become the Centre Pompidou in 1969?
Quiz
What were the nationalities of the two main winning architects of the Centre Pompidou, Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers?
Quiz
How many international entries were submitted to the design competition for the Centre Pompidou in 1971?
Quiz
What mocking nickname did angry locals give to the industrial-looking Centre Pompidou during its construction?
Quiz
What did the architects call their vision of a democratic, flexible building for the Centre Pompidou?