It may have been likened to a UFO for its ethereal floating roof that rests like a canopy over the structure, but the Centre Pompidou-Metz has firmly found its feet.
 
Opened on 12 May 2010 by Nicolas Sarkozy, the Centre Pompidou Metz is quickly becoming an architectural icon in much the same way as its Renzo Piano-designed Parisian counterpart.

 
The Museum of Modern Art located in Northeast France is the most talked about building of the moment, as much for its astounding architectural attributes as for it marking the cultural decentralisation of a national institution.

 
Designed by Shigeru Ban Architects Europe, along with Jean de Gastines, the hexagonal structure is rooted around a large spire overlooking the town’s 13th century architectural masterpieces.

 
When Japanese architect Shigeru Ban was named the winner of the design competition in June 2004, his workspace was set up on sixth-floor balcony of the Centre Pompidou in Paris to accommodate a team of fourteen people working exclusively on the project.

 
The roof is composed of a glue-laminated timber, double layers superimposed in three different directions enabling the roof to span 40 metres while resting on only a few supporting parts.

 
The roof is said to have been inspired by a Chinese hat and in order to achieve total safety for housing priceless works of art, the designers studied the protection of the shelter from every angle.

 
Offering 5020m2 of exhibition space, three galleries in the shape of rectangular tubes jut through the building at different levels, escaping from under the canopy roof with huge picture windows angled towards the city’s landmarks.



Shigeru Ban
 Architects Europe
shigerubanarchitects.com