In January 2003, the Pompidou centre together with the French Minister for Culture and Communications announced an intention to establish another Beaubourg at Metz. And they have been as good as their word. A competition was launched in March, six finalists selected in May and less than a year later, a few days ago the name of the winner was announced, Shigeru Ban. The Japanese architect will work in collaboration with Jean de Gastines and Philip Gumuchdjian to build the first satellite to the Pompidou.
A huge tensile structure made up of hexagonal modules covers the collection of spaces that make up the centre. Three galleries in a rectangular block (covering 1500 square metres) make up the main part of the building with three windows facing in three directions, the cathedral, the station and the castle. Materials used? A mix of timber and metal whilst the membrane is in translucent glass fibre covered in Teflon. Amongst the remaining finalists, second place went to the French practice of Stephane Maupin and Pascal Cribier, third place to Herzog & de Meuron and finally fourth place to Foa, Nox and Dominique Perrault.
The centre should be open to the public by 2007. It is an unprecedented experience for the French institution that as well as giving the town of Metz a centre of modern and contemporary art of an international level, offers new spaces to the collection of the Paris museum - and it may not be an isolated case.
