as Billy Strayhorn was known to say.
Returning to Paris for a brief visit after 30 years, I was reminded of some of the qualities that had remained with me after my first visit. The attention to detail in display like in this fruit and vegetable shop is quite striking:
.An aspect of the scale of buildings I noticed is that many edifices in the centre of Paris tend to make one feel rather small. The centres of capitals like Lisbon or Amsterdam I find more satisfyingly human
scale, by comparison.
The Pompidou Centre complex was worth revisiting just to marvel at its exoskeleton design which looks as innovative today as it did back in the 70’s with its mechanical systems made visible outside rather than concealed inside the structure as is still the norm in most buildings. The escalators connecting the floors are external to the complex.
Functional structural elements of the building are color-coded: green pipes are plumbing, blue ducts are for climate control, electrical wires are encased in yellow, and circulation elements and devices for safety (e.g., fire extinguishers) are red.
Apparently the designer of the Nike Air trainers was inspired by the Pompidou Centre concept!
