This very colorful and unusual building a bit North of the Notre Dame is designed to reflect the spirit of the 1960'ies. The colored pipes are part of it - blue is for air, green for fluids, yellow signals electric cables and red means movement and flow.
The Centre Pompidou was conceived by French President Georges Pompidou. It's purpose is to give Paris a cultural institution focused on contemporary and modern creation.
The architecture is the result of a competition which was won by the Italian architect Renzo Piano and British designer Richard Rogers. All kinds of supporting structures, like stairs, escalators and ducts are put on the outside of the building, giving more space inside the building.
The construction of the Centre Pompidou was finished and the cultural center was opened in 1977, and was immediately a big success, with several million visitors every year.
In 1997 the center had to be closed until 1999 in order to thoroughly renovate it, so it could be re-opened in 2000 better equipped to handle the heavy wear and tear of the many visitors on the center.
During the closure, the space available for exhibitions was increased by moving offices space outside the building to other locations. Since the re-opening the Centre Pompidou has again become one of Paris' most visited sights. In summer, the Swiss artist Jean Tinguely's and Niki de Saint-Phalle's Fontaine Stravinsky and the square and cafes next to it draw a fair share of the visitors.
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