Louvre Pyramid - the initial controversy and two decades later
Louvre Pyramid illuminated at night (Attribution: Creative Commons Attribution from Wikimedia Commons) I first visited the Louvre several decades ago when I was still a postgraduate student in structural engineering. I revisited the place last month. In between, in the 1980's, a large glass and metal Pyramid, surrounded by three smaller pyramids, was constructed in the central courtyard (Cour Napoleon). At the time the design was unveiled, most critics perceived this as an unwelcome intrusion of modernism into traditional architecture. The design attracted much adverse criticism and like every other person affiliated to the construction industry I too was aware of the raging controversy. However, I told myself then to withhold my opinion until I have seen it with my own eyes because still pictures often do not convey the truth. Louvre Pyramid at daytime (Attribution: Creative Commons Attribution from Wikimedia Commons) During the intervening years, in 2006, I als
