The Georges Pompidou Centre was inaugurated in Paris in 1977 by architects Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers. This imposing building is a centre for art and culture with a rich programme designed for the whole of Paris. Introduced by a large, sloping square that everyone can make their own, the Piazza belongs as much to the Pompidou Centre as to the city, extending the city inside the building to make way for a vast interior space, the forum. There is no threshold to enter, and access is unrestricted. The light, transparent façade accentuates the permeability of the space between the Piazza and the street behind the centre. It also provides a continuous visual link between inside and outside. The forum is spread over three levels, connected by partly mechanised staircases. The lower pit is home to a number of monumental installations, while the exhibition and news areas at the top of the stairs are home to smaller works. The space is punctuated by a series of structural beams in the ceiling, on which rest free-standing floors that allow great flexibility.