Municipal offices by Hadid

The unveiling of the final designs for the Pierres Vives building of the Department of Herault in Montpellier has revealed another spectacular scheme by London-based Zaha Hadid Architects. The Pritzker Prize-winner has remained true to her unique style and design reputation, creating a in situ concrete sculptural form with a touch of colour courtesy of the green windows. The structure is planned to enclose three civic institutions – the archives, the library, and the sports department – and the result’s organizational diagram is based on the idea of the 'tree of knowledge' – placing the archive at the base of the building, followed by the library and then the sports and office facilities at the top. Construction is due to start on site by the end of this year.

14 December 2006 | Architecture