On the South Pacific island of New Caledonia stretched along the top of an outcrop among Magenta’s bay and a mangroved-edged lagoon is located a row of exaggeratedly exotic constructions, erratically-spaced among the trees they emerge from exhibit such affinity with, which are as enigmatic as they are evocative. They seem both ancient and ultramodern, looking like as if constructed of basketwork, yet being far too enormous and somewhat similar to satellite telescopes, nevertheless they are made of wood. Such visuals descriptions travel us backwards and forwards in time. They bring to mind simultaneously the aboriginal Kanak culture whose artefacts, including huts, are mostly made and wove from vegetal matter, and aspects of contemporary civilization which still signify a sense of cosmic admiration. Characteristically, such associations are meaningfully apt: these structures, also dubbed cases, are the most conspicuous parts of the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre which has been built to conserve Kanak culture and help it evolve to face our times with replenished roots. Totally inspired by the culture and building traditions of the country, this large and fascinating complex is one of the most unusual works created by Renzo Piano and his partners. The works were completed after seven years in 1998, after Piano’s winning at an international invited competition led by the French government. The competition was held after the assassination of Jean-Marie Tjibaou, leader of New Caledonia’s independence movement, a French colony since 1864. The total cost of this inspiring urban scheme, the seventh and last of Mitterrand’s ”grand projects” and the first outside Paris, came up to three hundred and twenty (320) million francs.