Metz Metropole has announced that work has now started on the new 39m euro (£26m, US$50m) Centre Pompidou-Metz in the amphitheatre district of Metz, France.

The 12,000sq m (129,000sq ft) cultural centre will include public areas, exhibition areas, a creative studio for projections and performances, an auditorium and a bookshop as well as a restaurant-café.

The 6,000sq m (64,600sq ft) of exhibition area will comprise three adjustable 87x15m (285x49ft) galleries in the main nave. Each gallery will feature a large window with views.

The design – by architects Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastines – will imitate the shape of a woven Chinese hat, featuring a large hexagonal roof comprised of 2.9m hexagons on each side. The complex will be climate controlled and is due to open to the public in late 2008.

The Centre Pompidou-Metz will present works from the Musée National d’Art Moderne (MNAM) – Europe’s largest collection of modern and contemporary art with 58,000 pieces – as well as temporary exhibitions.

The centre – located near to the TGV high-speed train station due for completion in 2007 – is the cornerstone of an urban renewal programme for Metz designed by architect and urban planner Nicolas Michelin.

Funding has been provided by the owner Metz Metropole, the French State, the European Union, the Moselle Department and the Lorraine Regional Council. Details: www.centrepompidou-metz.com