Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers and Gianfranco Franchini designed the Centre Pompidou in the high-tech style. Their design was chosen in 1971 from 681 competition entries, and the complex, commissioned by President Georges Pompidou, was completed in 1977.
The architects placed the building's structure, services and circulation on the outside. The functional elements were color-coded: green for plumbing, blue for climate control, yellow for electrical wiring, and red for circulation and safety devices. A steel framework of 15,000 tonnes supports reinforced concrete floors, and escalators climb the outside of the building. The floor area is 103,305 square meters (1.1 million sq ft).
The complex houses the Bibliothèque publique d'information, the Musée National d'Art Moderne and IRCAM. It closed for renovation in September 2025 and is expected to reopen in 2030.
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