Hadid unveils new civic building in l'Herault

Architect Zaha Hadid has unveiled designs for a new civic building in l'Herault, Montpellier, France.

According to a spokesman for UK-based Zaha Hadid Architects, the new 28500 m² Pierres Vives building will bring l'Herault's archive, library and sports department under one roof.

The building has been developed on the basis of a rigorous pursuit of functional and economic logic combined with the organisational diagram of a “tree of knowledge, said the company spokesman.

“The resultant figure is reminiscent of a large tree-trunk with the archives located at the solid base of the trunk, followed by the slightly more porous library with the sports department and its well-lit offices on top where the trunk bifurcates and becomes much lighter," added the spokesman.