Centre Pompidou has announced its long-awaited expansion into the southern hemisphere with plans to invent a unique venue in Melbourne for arts lovers from 0 to 18 and beyond Futurecity curated the landmark cultural partnership between the iconic contemporary arts institution and leading international developer Beulah International as part of ‘STH BNK By Beulah’ – an ambitious vertical city development in the heart of the Arts Precinct of Melbourne.

A highly distinguished Paris landmark designed by Renzo Piano and the late Richard Rogers, Centre Pompidou is one of the architectural icons of the 20th century due to its adaptable, colourful and provocative design; it is also one of the most frequented cultural monuments in the world with three million visits a year pre-pandemic.

“We found the global cultural sector needs cultural centres withclever and adaptable infrastructure to encourage the new and rapid multi-sensory artistic experience being created through technology, multi-disciplinary collaborations, and co-creation. Melbourne has an ambitious, enviable arts scene of makers and presenters that gives the city top-ranking international status; Centre Pompidou is iconic at creating remarkable places for interdisciplinary art and ground-breaking education engagement that is in dialogue with local communities.” – Sherry Dobbin, Partner, Futurecity

Futurecity was part of the original architectural competition for Beulah International on the winning team with UNstudio (Amsterdam) and Cox Architecture (Melbourne) to generate ‘an X-factor’ for the resulting Green Spine. As a result of our continued work on the Cultural Strategy, we worked with the Beulah team and consulted with the cultural institutions of Melbourne to identify a cultural partner that matched up shared ambitions.

Following a long assessment by Beulah of some of the world’s most recognised art institutions around the world, Centre Pompidou was chosen as its cultural partner due to a shared vision of creating cultural programs for audiences (particularly younger ones) all over the world, while remaining deeply rooted in the city and being open to innovation. Some recent examples include the Centre Pompidou x West Bund Museum Project in Shanghai, Centre Pompidou Malaga and KANAL-Centre Pompidou in Brussels.

With plans to create art programs to engage young (and young-at-heart) art lovers, there’ll be a 3000-square-metre gallery space within the development, hosting regular exhibitions, workshops and cultural events. And just as in the Paris centre, the focus will be on modern and contemporary art.

“I am very excited at this first step of such an innovative partnership,” Centre Pompidou executive director Julie Narbey said in a statement.

“We are confident it will help us, together with Beulah’s ambitious and dynamic teams, explore daring new ways of reaching goals that have always been dear to our hearts: enabling young people to discover and enjoy the inspiring intersection of culture, arts, creativity and innovation.”

The cultural partnership also comes at the right time for the Southbank’s planned arts precinct redevelopment, complementing the Victorian Government’s vision with its ground-breaking offering. STH BNK by Beulah is a project of an unprecedented scale for Melbourne, drawing together leading figures in international design and placemaking to create a world-class, multi-use development that sets a benchmark in liveable city design. 

Beulah Executive Director, Adelene Teh, believes that Centre Pompidou will play a pivotal role in STH BNK By Beulah’s cultural strategy of exploring how future expressions of art and culture can inspire, challenge and enrich our daily life. Beside the partnership with the Centre Pompidou, the 3,000sqm gallery will anchor the cultural program at STH BNK and will be further complemented by rotating artworks throughout shared spaces and lobbies, performances, and interactive installations.

“We want to invite residents and visitors to open their minds and their preconceptions of the roles of the arts, wellness, sustainability and technology in their lives to transform future living. In addition to expressions of the future, our cultural strategy will also explore Australia’s heritage and provide a platform that is incredibly diverse and inclusive.” – Adelene Teh, Executive Director, Beulah

Renders courtesy of Beulah International. Created by Norm Li. Centre Pompidou Image courtesy of G. MEGUERDITCHIAN