1.0 Introduction
This paper will examine Renzo Piano’s Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center, located in New Caledonia, a
French territory in the South Pacific. The building’s ten wooden cases, referencing the traditional Kanak huts
as well as the surrounding vegetation, create the imagery of the building. These cases are also a highly
articulated environmental system which allows for natural ventilation of the building. In examining the
building’s development, as well as the thermodynamic principles used, it is clear that the cases were not
created out of a desire for a specific environmental system. Rather, the cases and the remainder of the
building were adopted to accommodate this natural ventilation system. This integration of imagery and
function within the cases prevents them from being mere iconography and binds them to the remainder of the
building.