The Centre Pompidou, in the centre of historic Paris, within one kilometre of Notre Dame and the Louvre, and on the edge of the densely populated medieval quarter, was the most radical design finally chosen of all submitted ones at the time of the competition the area was in crisis. It was Georges Pompidou who came up with the idea of a 'department store for culture' accessible to the widest possible public. The architects, Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano, turned traditional ideas of building upside down-or rather, inside out; technological guts of the buildings are on the outside, celebrating the essentials instead of hiding them, and painting them in colours keyed to help the observers understand how it all works. The exposed pipes caused a scandal when the Centre Pompidou first opened in 1977. After the Centre opened, Parisians and tourists gave expression to their idea by making it overnight the most visited sight in the city.

It is a million square foot cultural centre consisting of four major specialist activities which are museum of modern art, a reference library, centre for industrial design and a centre for music and acoustic research. Areas for office administration, book shops, restaurants, cinemas, children's activities and car parking are also included. Inside the Centre Pompidou, there is no need to any ticket for the escalator, by far the Centre's most popular attraction. Like everything else mechanical, it runs along the outside, providing a spectacular view over Paris that changes in an very impressive manner as you ascend.