Centre Georges Pompidou will be a honest man that stayed true to himself. A straightforward yet strong-headed man that says,
"This is who I am. Nothing more, nothing less. "
That is my first impression of Centre Georges Pompidou from the architecture history notes. The usual labels of it includes " High-tech architecture", "Brutalist architecture", etc. Me, however, viewed Centre Georges Pompidou like a honest and straightforward person (which is ironic as neither its exterior nor interior expresses humanistic touches).
If a building is like a person (with an image, character and soul), I would describe Centre Georges Pompidou as one who is honest to himself and the world. He is not shy to shred off his exterior skin and expose the skeleton structure of his interior body. Hides nothing. Instead of feeling vulnerable, like a naked person standing in the crowd, he stands tall and strong in the central distinct of Paris. Not ashamed of his nakedness, he celebrates the unique beauty of interior mechanism of the body.
Being an arts centre, Centre Georges Pompidou always remembered his position as a platform for showcase and does not compete with the main character. His imageless Interior allows viewers to only focus on the main character. Plus his warehouse structure maximizes the flexibility to take up any role. (eg. museum, theatre, office, etc).
When we talk about the interior skeleton of a body, the limelight is always given to the vital organs (grand lobby, exhibition spaces and office spaces). Running arteries (pipes, ducts and wires) are more often under-valued despite the fact that they too are essential for the body to function. He understands their roles in a system and made it a point to appreciate their presence by putting them on the facade and colour coding each function (blue for aircon ducts, green for pipes, yellow for electricity wires and red for traffic connectors eg. escalator and stairs). It is a radical idea of that time as those functions were mostly hidden away from public view. Thus when one visits Centre Georges Pompidou, one will naturally be aware of the flowing arteries weaving around the building. Strangely, it became the distinctive look for Centre Georges Pompidou.
I have managed to visit Centre Georges Pompidou twice so far. Once in 2009 and the second time in 2013. My impression of Centre Georges Pompidou is the same as the experience (I thought to myself, "He is as real as what was written in architecture history notes"). It is honest as his pictures. Even after 40 years since his opening in 1977, he has managed to stayed the same. A prove that great revolutionary architecture ideas are able to uphold their principles through the test of time.
So next time when we visit any building, take some time to understand them. Like people, all buildings have a soul, even the cold and hard ones.
Documentary of Centre Georges Pompidou:
"This is who I am. Nothing more, nothing less. "
That is my first impression of Centre Georges Pompidou from the architecture history notes. The usual labels of it includes " High-tech architecture", "Brutalist architecture", etc. Me, however, viewed Centre Georges Pompidou like a honest and straightforward person (which is ironic as neither its exterior nor interior expresses humanistic touches).
If a building is like a person (with an image, character and soul), I would describe Centre Georges Pompidou as one who is honest to himself and the world. He is not shy to shred off his exterior skin and expose the skeleton structure of his interior body. Hides nothing. Instead of feeling vulnerable, like a naked person standing in the crowd, he stands tall and strong in the central distinct of Paris. Not ashamed of his nakedness, he celebrates the unique beauty of interior mechanism of the body.
Being an arts centre, Centre Georges Pompidou always remembered his position as a platform for showcase and does not compete with the main character. His imageless Interior allows viewers to only focus on the main character. Plus his warehouse structure maximizes the flexibility to take up any role. (eg. museum, theatre, office, etc).
When we talk about the interior skeleton of a body, the limelight is always given to the vital organs (grand lobby, exhibition spaces and office spaces). Running arteries (pipes, ducts and wires) are more often under-valued despite the fact that they too are essential for the body to function. He understands their roles in a system and made it a point to appreciate their presence by putting them on the facade and colour coding each function (blue for aircon ducts, green for pipes, yellow for electricity wires and red for traffic connectors eg. escalator and stairs). It is a radical idea of that time as those functions were mostly hidden away from public view. Thus when one visits Centre Georges Pompidou, one will naturally be aware of the flowing arteries weaving around the building. Strangely, it became the distinctive look for Centre Georges Pompidou.
I have managed to visit Centre Georges Pompidou twice so far. Once in 2009 and the second time in 2013. My impression of Centre Georges Pompidou is the same as the experience (I thought to myself, "He is as real as what was written in architecture history notes"). It is honest as his pictures. Even after 40 years since his opening in 1977, he has managed to stayed the same. A prove that great revolutionary architecture ideas are able to uphold their principles through the test of time.
So next time when we visit any building, take some time to understand them. Like people, all buildings have a soul, even the cold and hard ones.
Documentary of Centre Georges Pompidou: