"Jean Nouvel designed the new Hôtel de ville de Montpellier in the city's Port Marianne. Inspiration for the unique form came from the previous town hall, the Hotel de Région,
which was loosely based on the Arc de Triumph. Another city hall in
1975, the hotel Belleval, became a simple high-rise of gridded windows.
The Regional Hall
attempted to digitize the classic Arc de Triumph icon into a gridded
modern object, and this was pushed further by Nouvel, resulting in a
profound and complex structure. The surrounding site is still
unfinished."
I was impressed with the overall appearance of Montpellier's new City Hall, but could not get over how much money had been spent on the facility.
The interior lobby is very impressive with a ceiling design that incorporates historic letters and materials. Here's an idea for Vancouver's future new City Hall. Instead of 17th Century letters, we could use extracts from the Greenest City Action Plan, or Coal Harbour Policy Statements1
After seeing this building I understand why the city may not have money to keep the main square and surrounding streets clean!
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