Pompidou At Home

Grace Andrews and Madeline Ju
Rice School of Architecture, Rice University

“Instead of reinforcing the traditional model of the cultural institution as a singular destination, the project proposes a framework in which exhibition, living, and public engagement coexist across the city. Its conceptual clarity is matched by an architectural strategy that challenges established institutional boundaries while expanding access to culture.” 

—Zeinab Maghdouri

The revolutionary and iconic Centre Pompidou is closing in 2026 for a six-year renovation. During a travel studio in Paris, the designers saw an opportunity to reimagine the museum and test the boundaries between public and private, and institutional and intimate. In response to the closure, this project transforms underutilized apartments into a decentralized network of “pocket galleries”—temporal and spatial enclaves that redefine the gallery as an urban agora, linked by the street and synchronized with the city’s daily rhythms. A kit of minimally invasive structures creates public points of entry, operable during designated hours. These interventions playfully challenge the relationship to the street while maintaining the character of historic elevations. After the exhibition cycle, the structures can remain onsite to benefit residents.