ChronoFive
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Setting the scene
President Georges Pompidou wanted a populist cultural machine in Paris's historic Marais; architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers won the 1971 competition with an 'inside-out' scheme exposing ducts, escalators, and color-coded pipes on the exterior, scandalizing traditionalists who mocked it as an oil refinery.
What happened
The Pompidou Centre opened on January 31, 1977, housing Europe's largest modern art museum, a public library, and panoramic terraces atop the Beaubourg piazza.
Why it still matters
High-tech architecture went mainstream through its influence on Rogers's later Lloyd's Building and global museum additions; the plaza's street performers and free views made Beaubourg a democratic counterpoint to Louvre formality.
Background
High-tech architecture went mainstream.