The Millau Viaduct in Southern France and the Sage Gateshead in North East of England are both celebrating a decade of successful operation this week.
The Millau Viaduct was inaugurated on 14 December 2004 by Jacques Chirac – a fireworks display was held on Sunday to mark the anniversary. More than 46 million vehicles have crossed the bridge since it was opened to traffic. Spanning the River Tarn, which lies in a spectacular gorge between two high plateaux, the viaduct makes the minimum intervention in the landscape and combines function, technology and aesthetics in a graceful structural form.
The Sage Gateshead opened its doors on 17 December 2004. The anniversary will be celebrated with a six day party, full of musical and visual spectacles, concerts and events, which include turning the building into a giant musical instrument. Over the last ten years, the Sage Gateshead has hosted 4,000 performances and welcomed 6 million visitors, and more than 1.5 million people have taken part in its learning and participation programmes – it has also contributed more than £200 million to the local economy and created over 400 new jobs.
