3 ms·

I know people hate Centre Pompidou but I do not share that hate. As a child my parents took me there many times and for years I would have wild, beautiful archi

by pivo 11y ago

I know people hate Centre Pompidou but I do not share that hate. As a child my parents took me there many times and for years I would have wild, beautiful architectural dreams about it. It's what made me realize that architecture is not just a historical thing but something that people who are living in the present can do as well, and that it is something that can be shocking and beautiful at the same time.

Osmium 11y ago
> I know people hate Centre Pompidou but I do not share that hate. I had no idea. I absolutely adore the Pompidou. I've only visited once, a few years back, but I remember it vividly. Colourful and full of joy.
cam_l 11y ago
There is a great story I heard about the architects winning the competition. The jury had to do an inspection of their offices to ensure the architects were established enough to take on the project. So Rogers & Piano hired out a floor of an office building and got all their friends to 'staff' it for the week the jury was visiting. I can't understand why anyone would hate this building, I would love to visit it. But beyond personal preference, the success of the building is not merely about beauty but in how it functions both practically and phenomenologically. Judging architecture on looks alone is like judging, i don't know, twitter for its logo.. The pompidou centre made a large plaza based on classical proportions ie.the same size as the façade—in an area of paris without public space. And with the symbolism of the inner workings being exposed—transparency was a strong political statement to which the public responded. Rogers:"The whole idea of Pompidou was that it is a place for the meeting of all people. And the success of it was that the French took it over and it became the most visited building in Europe."

3 ms·

I know people hate Centre Pompidou but I do not share that hate. As a child my parents took me there many times and for years I would have wild, beautiful archi

by pivo 11y ago

Osmium 11y ago
> I know people hate Centre Pompidou but I do not share that hate. I had no idea. I absolutely adore the Pompidou. I've only visited once, a few years back, but I remember it vividly. Colourful and full of joy.
cam_l 11y ago
There is a great story I heard about the architects winning the competition. The jury had to do an inspection of their offices to ensure the architects were established enough to take on the project. So Rogers & Piano hired out a floor of an office building and got all their friends to 'staff' it for the week the jury was visiting. I can't understand why anyone would hate this building, I would love to visit it. But beyond personal preference, the success of the building is not merely about beauty but in how it functions both practically and phenomenologically. Judging architecture on looks alone is like judging, i don't know, twitter for its logo.. The pompidou centre made a large plaza based on classical proportions ie.the same size as the façade—in an area of paris without public space. And with the symbolism of the inner workings being exposed—transparency was a strong political statement to which the public responded. Rogers:"The whole idea of Pompidou was that it is a place for the meeting of all people. And the success of it was that the French took it over and it became the most visited building in Europe."