The first branch of the Centre Pompidou is envisaged as a simple shelter, a sort of nomadic-like architecture and consists of an immense metallic veil stretched over the museum and partially open at its for corners. The tent creates an “in-between” zone that piques the curiosity of passers-by, who then want to know what it conceals.

The “hidden object” the visitor expects to find upon entering, slips behind a glass wall covered with an ultra-thin layer of silver. This two-way mirror reflects the image of what it covers, while still allowing one to perceive silhouettes circulating inside the edifice. At the center of the building, a huge nave houses monumental works of art. The exhibition galleries, organized in a sort of crown around the nave, are designed to maximize the number of itineraries.

Finally, this “dematerialized” construction is determinedly turned outward to the city as the plaza and the terrace, positioned between the roof and the metallic cover, which offers a panoramic view of the surrounding neighborhood.