The Pompidou Centre is getting a little brother in Metz (eastern France). Japanese architect Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastines have based the building on the shape of a woven bamboo Chinese hat. The future building has a new website (in french, but a german and an english versions are coming soon) with plenty of pictures and technical details.

The curved roof is to be built out of timber, with a water barrier consisting of a translucent membrane coated in Teflon. It will shelter galleries hosting a rota of exhibitions from the Parisian museum’s collection of modern and contemporary art.

The new centre will open in 2008. Meanwhile, the architects are working in a Paper temporary studio designed by Shigeru Ban.

Via AEIOU.
More about it in english: designboom, The Guardian and arcspace, via archinect.