The idea came into being in the early 1990’s, after the assassination of Jean-Marie Tjibaou, leader of the Country’s independence movement, a French colony since 1864. Mitterand decided that a centre to preserve the local culture, almost destroyed at the beginning of the century by the colonists, should be built. The international invited competition, won by italian Renzo Piano.
Curved shell-like structures, ten in all, made from slats of wood, are arranged around a covered atrium, just like a traditional village. The site, chosen together with the Kanaki (which literally means "men") is a peninsula jutting out into the ocean, rich in vegetation and directly in contact with nature.
The complex is built entirely in Iroko, wood imported from Ghana, which is highly resistant to humidity and insects. The shell structures have differing heights, up to a maximum of 28 metres. Their layout reflects that of traditional villages, composed of several clusters of houses grouped together.
