Richard Rogers is well known for putting the structure on display at the Centre Pompidou in Paris.  And so he did here… but there’s also something kind of insane going on.  As in the building juts out 90’ from the edge of the hillside, with nary a support beneath it.

Just look at that, what an insane cantilever!  It hovers 60’ above the ground (and a historic Roman track) at its outmost point, seeming to defy gravity (and almost daring you to walk under it).  Meant as a gallery, it’s a perfect folly, taking the ground plane and extending it until you’re floating amongst the treetops, looking out over ancient ruins and a national park below.

Wild and crazy!  But nifty, and as a capstone (he has retired) it’s a nice callback to one of his earliest and most well known buildings.

The Drawing Gallery at Chateau La Coste by Richard Rogers.

(The Chateau also has buildings by Ando, Gehry, Piano, Nouvel, and more… so clearly a spot I need to keep in mind!)