HERAULT CULTURE SPORT

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HERAULT CULTURE SPORT

2002-2007 PROGRAM: CLIENT:

[MONTPELLIER, FRANCE]

Library, departemental archive, sports facility Departement de l'Herault 1000, rue de lAlco 24087 Montpellier Cedex 4 FRANCE Design Project Architect Blue Tango Architectures [France] Engineer Landscape Architect Cost Consultant Ove Arup Partners [UK] West 8 [Netherlands] Davis Langdom & Everest [UK] 100,000 m2 35, 000 m2 Zaha Hadid Architects [London, UK] Stephane Hof [Zaha Hadid]

ARCHITECT: LOCAL ARCHITECT: CONSULTANTS

SIZE/AREA :

Landscape Area Building

The three institutions - the archive, the bibliotheque and the sport department - are unified within a single, envelope. The three parts of this "cite administrative" combine into a strong figure visible far into the landscape. As one moves closer, the division into three parts becomes apparent. The building has been developed on the basis of a rigorous pursuit of functional and economic logic. However, the resultant figure is reminiscent of a large tree-trunk, laid horizontal. The archive is located at the solid base of the trunk, followed by the slightly more porous bibliotheque. The sport department with its well-lit offices is next, at the end where the trunk bifurcates and becomes much lighter. The branches projecting off the main trunk are articulating the points of access and the entrances into the various institutions. On the western side are all the public entrances and on the eastern side are all the service entrances, i.e. staff entrances and loading bays. In this way the tree-trunk analogy is exploited to organise and articulate the complexity of the overall "cite administrative". Urban Strategie The key to the urban strategy is the extension of the future Parc de Malbosc into our site and across to La Paillade. Our scheme proposes that on our site the public park becomes a recreational forest with various clearings and playgrounds. Spatial Organisation The main vehicular access - both for public visitors as well as for staff and service vehicles is from Rue du professeur Blayac, on either side of the building. The public access leads to the generous visitor carpark right in front of the various entrance lobbies. The service access is stretched along the opposite side. This longitudinal division of serviced and servicing spaces is maintained within the groundfloor of the building. This clear boundary and interface is coherent along the full length of the building. The front side of the groundlevel contains all the public functions of each institution, linked by a linear lobby in the centre. From here the reading rooms and educational spaces of the archive are immediately accessible. The same goes The public facilities shared between the three institutions, like the exhibition hall and conference centre, are located in the main branch that projects out from the trunk at this front side. Above the connective groundlevel the three institutions remain strictly separated. Each has its own set of cores for internal vertical circulation. The lay-outs of each part follow their specific functional logic.
HERAULT CULTURE SPORT [MONTPELLIER, FRANCE]

HERAULT CULTURE SPORT

2002-2007

[MONTPELLIER, FRANCE]

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