A notable example of high-tech architecture, the Centre Pompidou in Paris features an exposed skeleton of brightly colored tubes for mechanical systems on its exterior. Designed by Richard Rogers, Su Rogers, Renzo Piano, and Gianfranco Franchini, the building's structural elements and utilities are visible, creating a distinctive industrial aesthetic. Completed in 1977, it was commissioned by President Georges Pompidou to house a cultural complex.
The Centre Pompidou contains a vast public library, a museum of modern art, and spaces for music and acoustic research. Its design includes escalators in transparent tubes running along the facade, offering views of Paris. The interior galleries display works from the 20th and 21st centuries, including paintings, sculptures, and multimedia installations.