On track to open its doors in 2009, the Centre Pompidou-Metz is certain to bring artistic vitality and renewal to the region it serves. This thoroughly illustrated volume documents in drawings, photographs, plans, and informative essays the progress of the project to date. The book covers every stage of the project's construction as well as its ambitious design by Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastines geared to serve a young and sophisticated audience. Texts by the president of the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the director of its new outpost and the mayor of Metz reveal that the Centre Pompidou-Metz will be a cultural center in its own right, one that promises to bring new artistic life to the area and provide valuable educational opportunities.