{"id":437571,"date":"2026-02-21T08:16:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T08:16:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/437571\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T08:16:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T08:16:18","slug":"unbuilt-visions-for-the-centre-pompidou-presented-at-concours-beaubourg-1971-exhibition-in-paris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/437571\/","title":{"rendered":"Unbuilt Visions for the Centre Pompidou Presented at \u201cConcours Beaubourg 1971\u201d Exhibition in Paris"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Unbuilt<\/a>Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers, Gianfranco Franchini (later Piano+Rogers Architects) and Ove Arup & Partners. Beaubourg Center, now the Pompidou Center, competition project, elevation on the piazza, June 1971. Print on paper. Pompidou Center Archives, collection of plans for the construction of the Beaubourg plateau, Paris . Image \u00a9 Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers. Courtesy of Renzo Piano and Ruth Rogers<\/p>\n

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On January 30, an exhibition entitled “Concours Beaubourg 1971: Une mutation de l’architecture”<\/a> opened in Paris<\/a>, showcasing archival material from the competition that resulted in the selection of the current Centre Pompidou, designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers<\/a> between 1969 and 1974. In view of the building’s recent closure for renovation<\/a>, approximately 100 archival documents, including some never before exhibited from the Centre Pompidou’s collections (plans, drawings, photographs, models, etc.), are on display at the Acad\u00e9mie d’Architecture at Place des Vosges until February 22, 2026. Co-produced by the Acad\u00e9mie d’Architecture and the Centre Pompidou, with support from the \u00c9cole nationale sup\u00e9rieure d’architecture de Saint-\u00c9tienne, the exhibition presents alternative, imaginative, and sometimes unbuildable proposals for the building. It offers a review of a fertile period in architectural history, highlighting the lasting effects of the “Beaubourg competition” on the discipline and profession.<\/p>\n

\"Unbuilt<\/a>\"Unbuilt<\/a>\"Unbuilt<\/a>\"Unbuilt<\/a>\"Unbuilt+ 3<\/a><\/p>\n

\"UnbuiltRenzo Piano, Richard Rogers, Gianfranco Franchini (later Piano+Rogers Architects) and Ove Arup & Partners. Facsimile of the first competition model for the Beaubourg Center project, June 1971. Model made of wood, Plexiglas, and metal by Jasmine Ch\u00e2ble and Aristide Saint-Yves (under the direction of Boris Hamzeian and Emma Vernet). ENSA Saint Etienne (on loan). Image \u00a9 ENSA Saint-Etienne, Renzo Piano, and Ruth Rogers. Courtesy of Fondazione Renzo Piano and Ruth Rogers<\/a><\/p>\n

In July 1971, the jury of the international architecture competition for the future Centre Pompidou<\/a>, chaired by architect and engineer Jean Prouv\u00e9<\/a>, selected the project by the team comprising Renzo Piano<\/a>, Richard Rogers<\/a>, Gianfranco Franchini, and engineers from Ove Arup & Partners<\/a> as the winning entry. According to President Georges Pompidou, diversity of views was one of the competition’s key objectives, which was not reserved for established firms but instead allowed emerging talents from around the world to submit their work. The final project was selected from among 681 entries, submissions that crystallized the principal schools shaping architecture at the time, including preservers of the Beaux-Arts tradition<\/a>, defenders of Expressionism<\/a>, emissaries of Modernism<\/a>, proponents of post-war megastructures, and young representatives of avant-garde movements.<\/p>\n

\"UnbuiltPiano+Rogers Architects (Shunji Ishida). Beaubourg Center, now the Pompidou Center, final design, isometric view of a detail of the landing and supports for the escalators, March 1974. Rapidograph, felt pen, and pencil on tracing paper. Pompidou Center Archives, collection of construction plans for the Beaubourg plateau, Paris. Image \u00a9 Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers. Courtesy of Fondazione Renzo Piano and Ruth Rogers<\/a>\"UnbuiltPiano+Rogers Architects (Shunji Ishida). Beaubourg Center, now the Pompidou Center, final design, plan for the film library, undated [1974]. Rapidograph, felt pen, and pencil on tracing paper. Pompidou Center Archives, collection of plans for the construction of the Beaubourg plateau, Paris. Image \u00a9 Renzo Piano, Richard Rogers. Courtesy of Fondazione Renzo Piano and Ruth Rogers<\/a><\/p>\n

Featuring previously unseen archival materials, the exhibition presents around forty project submissions from architects such as Jean Nouvel<\/a>, Andr\u00e9 Bruy\u00e8re, Claude Parent<\/a>, Luc Zavaroni, Andrault & Parat, and Henry Pottier. According to Hugo Trutt and Boris Hamzeian of the Centre Pompidou’s architecture department<\/a>, the overview of proposals demonstrates how the winning team “challenged not only the classical model of cultural institutions in Paris<\/a>, but the very role of the architect\u2014bringing together a multidisciplinary team that fused architecture, engineering, construction, and high technology in the spirit of so-called ‘Total Design.'”<\/p>\n

Related Article Centre Pompidou to Close for Five-Year Renovation Led by Moreau Kusunoki<\/a> <\/p>\n

The exhibition presents Andr\u00e9 Bruy\u00e8re’s giant egg, a boldly ovoid museum resting atop a three-storey base. Driven by a philosophical interest in pure curvature and a desire for a large, uninterrupted interior, the project sought to house the programme within an iconic form. Claude Parent’s double pyramid reimagined the museum as paired monumental forms, one rising like a landscaped tumulus above ground, the other echoing beneath, as an exploration of the “oblique function” and sloping geometries influenced by Paul Virilio’s theories and Brutalist precedents. Luc Zavaroni’s flying saucer carried a distinctly “space age” aesthetic, proposing a suspended structure elevated more than fifty metres above ground, evoking the era’s fascination with rockets and extraterrestrial design despite its impractical structural implications.<\/p>\n

\"UnbuiltCompetition board for the construction of the Beaubourg Center, June 1971. Collage on paper, elevation Pompidou Center Archives, collection of competition plans for the construction of the Beaubourg Center, Paris . Image \u00a9 Henry Pottier, P. Marc, T. Martin<\/a><\/p>\n

The other three entries highlighted divergent approaches to form, circulation, and structural logic. Jean Nouvel’s student project, co-drawn with Fran\u00e7ois Seigneur, unfolded a network of tentacular galleries that challenged classical museum typologies, suggesting a fractal spatial condition. Michel Andrault and Pierre Parat’s bid emphasized programmatic clarity and structural play through two lateral wings and a monumental spherical entrance, balancing mass and lightness while foregrounding visitor movement through carefully considered circulation diagrams. Henry Pottier’s lattice-based platform integrated independent modules within a metal frame, culminating in a towering panoramic restaurant. The proposal aligned with Georges Pompidou’s interest in verticality and referenced the structural logic of the Fun Palace, while remaining closest in spirit to the winning design.<\/p>\n

\"UnbuiltAndr\u00e9 Aubert, Jean-Claude Dondel, et al. Competition for modern art museums, Seine-side fa\u00e7ade, Avenue de Tokyo, 1934. Graphite and black ink wash on paper. Acad\u00e9mie d\u2019Architecture, Cit\u00e9 de l\u2019Architecture et du Patrimoine, Archives d’architecture contemporaine, Andr\u00e9 Aubert Collection, Paris. Image \u00a9 Andr\u00e9 Aubert. Courtesy of the Acad\u00e9mie d\u2019Architecture<\/a>\"UnbuiltEug\u00e8ne Beaudouin and Marcel Lods. OTUA competition for a new exhibition center, partial view of the model Silver print mounted on cardboard. Acad\u00e9mie d’Architecture, Cit\u00e9 de l’Architecture et du Patrimoine, Archives d’architecture contemporaine, Marcel Lods Collection (and Beaudouin and Lods Association), Paris. Image \u00a9 Marcel Lods. Courtesy of the Acad\u00e9mie d\u2019Architecture<\/a><\/p>\n

Other recent event announcements include the imminent public opening of Brazilian architect Eduardo Longo’s Casa Bola in S\u00e3o Paulo<\/a>, a futuristic spherical residence that will be featured as part of the ABERTO5 exhibition from 7 March to 31 May 2026, highlighting experimental approaches to domestic spatial design. ArchDaily’s latest Building of the Year Awards revealed 15 winning projects from across 14 countries<\/a>, representing global diversity in architectural achievement and community-driven recognition. In another recognition initiative, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) has elevated 78 architects to its College of Fellows<\/a>, acknowledging members whose work has demonstrated a sustained impact on the discipline and society, including Frida Escobedo and Ma Yansong. Meanwhile, Conc\u00e9ntrico 2026 has selected three urban installation projects by teams from Italy, Chile, and Spain<\/a> to be developed during the festival in Logro\u00f1o from June 18\u201323, 2026.<\/p>\n