Just been to Paris and whilst i was there i visited the Pompidou Centre. The Centre was designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, the British architect couple Richard Rogers and Sue Rogers, and the British structual engineer Edmund Happold. The project was awarded to this team of relative unknowns in a design competition, whose results were announced in 1971. The Pompidou revolutionized museums and in fact how buildings were created. It turned the rules of architecture on it's head. What is normally hidden within the walls of a building is externally presented in a muddle of pipes and external elevators. The characteristic piping is colour-coded according to the contents: yellow for electricity, red for heating, blue for air, and green for water.
I wouldn't go quite so far as to say the building is aesthetically pleasing but it is a great feat of engineering and certainly eye-catching. It's had people talking since it was built and no-one seems to be able to decide on whether it's good piece of architecture or not.
The way the interior has been laid out means that this is totally different museum experience to any other. The whole building combines fine art, film and design in one and uses huge floeurescent typography to guide you through the different levels. A ride on one of the outside elevators is breathtaking as you see right over the city.
Some say it's ugly but if you're looking at it from a design perspective it's innovative and unique.
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