Buzz
It was the most remarkable structure erected in Paris for two generations, resembling an eruption of brightly colored service pipes in the tranquility of the city center. However, in 1977, when architects Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano stood amidst a crowd of 5,000 people at the inauguration of the Centre Georges Pompidou (known as the Pompidou), few truly grasped the significance of this unconventional edifice.
Rogers, at the age of 38, along with Piano, won the competition to design a new cultural hub for Paris at the former market site. As young and relatively unknown architects, they were selected from a pool of nearly 700 applicants to create one of the era's most prestigious buildings. After six challenging years, involving 25,000 drawings, seven legal disputes, budget battles, and a frantic last-minute rush to complete construction, they finally succeeded.
However, the opening ceremony was a subdued affair. Throughout its construction, the Pompidou Centre had faced severe criticism, the architects had no new projects in sight, and their partnership was strained. Yet, this proved to be a passing crisis. The Centre, which housed the national museum of modern art, exhibition spaces, a public library, and a modern music center, became a resounding success. It welcomed six million visitors in its inaugural year, prompting a swift change in the critics' opinions.
The architects were motivated by a strong desire for maximum adaptability, aiming to create a structure that wouldn't restrict the movement of its occupants. All sections were accessible via a vast entrance hall and served by a single escalator, accessible to all, whether for visiting exhibitions or enjoying the view. With services concentrated at one end, escalators and elevators at the other, and floors suspended from massive steel beams, providing uninterrupted space equivalent to two football fields, their vision became a reality.
The Pompidou's image permeated popular culture in the 1970s, appearing everywhere from album covers to a table lamp, even serving as a backdrop in a James Bond film. This helped demystify the architectural community of its time, enabling a broader audience to appreciate the building's style and substance, moving beyond a strictly professional audience.
The following year, Rogers was tasked with designing Lloyd's Bank's new London headquarters, marking the beginning of one of Britain's most dynamic architectural practices. Today, Piano ranks among the world's most esteemed architects. But what of their joint creation?
Certainly unlike any previous museum, with plans for a versatile interior featuring movable walls and floors adjustable in height. The latter feature, however, did not survive the transition from competition drawings to actual construction. Nevertheless, the finished building exhibited an impressive level of refinement and craftsmanship, transforming the original concept into a meticulously detailed structure. Some critics even argued that the Pompidou should be viewed as more closely aligned with 19th-century engineering traditions than with the space age.
Nonetheless, as a model for urban planning, it has exerted significant influence. The Guggenheim in Bilbao and numerous other landmark projects have embraced the belief that creatively designed cultural buildings can spur urban revitalization, all inspired by the Pompidou Centre.
Competing structures may now vie for the title of Europe’s most unconventional architectural achievement. Nevertheless, over twenty-five years later, this creation – difficult to categorize as a conventional building due to its lack of facade, consisting instead of a framework of steel beams and pipes with an elongated external escalator winding its way up the exterior – continues to appear remarkably radical.
Even today, the Pompidou Centre itself retains much of its original appearance from its opening. The initial impact of its color-coded plumbing and structural design has not diminished over time. While critics initially viewed it as a jarring addition to Parisian architecture, today they recognize it as a monumental feat both technically and conceptually.
Questions 1-4
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
1 What does the writer say about the opening of the Pompidou Centre?
A The elderly did not like it.
B The architects were not present.
C The atmosphere was very noisy.
D The people did not realise its importance.
2 What does the writer say about the construction of the Pompidou?
A There was a hurry to complete it.
B It cost less than expected.
C Other experts helped draw the plans.
D The market location was criticised.
3 What is the writer’s main purpose in the 4th paragraph?
A to explain the multi-functional role of the centre
B to praise the architects for their design ideas
C to say why some people’s opinions quickly altered
D to show how the media benefited from its success
4 What was the architects’ ‘dream’, referred to in the 5th paragraph?
A to become famous
B to provide entertainment
C to allow visitors to use it freely
D to build the biggest museum in the world
Questions 5-8
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-F, below.
5 The escalators and lifts inside the Pompidou
6 In the 1970s, pictures of the Pompidou
7 The original plans for the floors of the Pompidou
8 The detailed structure of the finished building
A reminded some people of past building styles.
B were used to decorate everyday objects.
C fitted in well with the external surroundings.
D were situated on one side of the building.
E showed people which area to visit.
F were changed during the construction process.
Questions 9-14
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-F, below.
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in the reading passage?
Write
YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
9 The Pompidou has influenced the way cities are designed.
10 The Guggenheim has been more popular than the Pompidou.
11 The word “building” fits the Pompidou better than the word “construction”.
12 The Pompidou’s appearance has changed considerably since it opened.
13 Nowadays, the design of the Pompidou fails to shock people.
14 The traditionalist view of the Pompidou has changed over the years.
Responses:- D (Đoạn 2, “no one was really aware of the significance of this unusual building.”)
- A (Đoạn 3, “and a desperate last-minute scramble to finish the building, it had finally been done.”)
- C (Đoạn 4, “It attracted six million visitors in its first year, and with its success, the critics swiftly changed their tune.”)
- C (Đoạn 5, “The architects had been driven by the desire for ultimate flexibility, …, their dream had become a reality.”)
- D (Đoạn 5, “With all the services at one end of the building, escalators and lifts at the other.”)
- B (Đoạn 6, “The image of the Pompidou pervaded popular culture in the 1970s, making appearances everywhere – on record-album covers and a table lamp, and even acting as the set for a James Bond 1 film.”)
- F (Đoạn 8, “It was certainly like no previous museum, with its plans for a flexible interior that not only had movable walls but floors that could also be adjusted up or down.”)
- A (Đoạn 8, “It was this quality which, according to some critics, suggested that the Pompidou should be seen as closer to the 19th-century engineering tradition than the space age.”)
- YES (Đoạn 9, “…urban renewal are all following the lead of the Pompidou Centre.” → Thay đổi theo kiến trúc của Pompidou)
- NOT GIVEN (Không có thông tin)
- NO (Đoạn 10, “this construction – it is hard to call it a building when there is no façade,…” → Ngược với câu hỏi)
- NO (Đoạn cuối, “Today, the Pompidou Centre itself still looks much as it did when it opened.” → Nhìn vẫn giống ngày xưa)
- NO (Đoạn cuối, “The shock value of its colour-coded plumbing and its structure has not faded with the years.” → Vẫn gây ấn tượng cho du khách)
- YES (Đoạn cuối, “But while traditionalists regarded it as an ugly attack on Paris when it was built, they now see it for what it is – an enormous achievement, technically and conceptually.” → Người ta đã hay đổi quan niệm).
