It has been recently announced that Sou Fujimoto, together with French practices Nicolas Laisné Associés (NL*A) and Manal Rachdi Oxo Architects, has been chosen to construct the second architectural folly of the 21st century. The first one was designed by Farshid Moussavi. The spectacle will be located in Montpellier, France.
The new multipurpose tower is called Arbre Blanc (White Tree)and mixed-use – designed for housing, a restaurant, an art gallery, offices, a bar with a panoramic view and a common area. From the project’s conceptual phase, the architects were heavily inspired by Montpellier’s tradition of outdoor living. The tower is strategically located between the city center and the newly developed districts of Port Marianne and Odysseum, midway between the “old” and the new Montpellier.
The 17-story high-rise dominates the Montpellier skyline, creating an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to soak in the breathtaking expanse with a view of the ocean, the Pic Saint-Loup mountains, the sprawling city and the Lez River below.
Created as a joint venture of the Japanese and French architectural practices, Arbre Blanc is imbibed with Mediterranean character and Japanese culture alike, with dense yet permeable peripheries where inside and outside join forces, the lines are blurred between room and balcony, uniquely indulgent exterior expanses surrender themselves as full-fledged living spaces. Unparalleled anywhere for its depth and well-provisioned hanging gardens that take up more than half the space allotted for residential units and offer up places to arrange plants, tables, chairs, benches and storage spaces.
