When the project was first announced in 2014, many waited in anticipation as renderings of L'Arbre Blanc tower surfaced. The 17-story tower is said to be modeled after the shape of a tree with balconies 'branching out' from the cylindrical shaped building. Located in Montpellier, France, Sou Fujimoto was joined by Nicolas Laisné, Dimitri Roussel, and OXO Architectes to complete the project.
With the 113 apartment tower fully constructed, it has stayed true to its renderings. According to the project's press release, Fujimoto and his team aimed at recreating the idea of a tower while paying attention to the local lifestyles of the people of Montpellier. The eye-catching details of the cantilevered balconies help create a changing perspective depending on the viewer's angle, sun positioning, and viewpoint. The cantilevered balconies not only aide in the visual aesthetic of the tower but also protect the metal facades of the structure. Since Montpellier is prone to earthquakes, the design team used a facade that was extremely light in weight to achieve maximum flexibility.
According to the design team, "This project was ambitious in numerous respects. Number one: it was the first time a city had imposed a level of architectural quality. Two: L’Arbre Blanc is a team effort by four property developers and three architecture practices. And three: we enjoyed a very rare degree of freedom on this site because it is a 'stand-alone' plot, with no requirement to align with any neighbors. The outline of L’Arbre Blanc is that of the roundabout on which it is located, avoiding blocking the views of the adjoining apartment block."
Beyond its looks and technical aspects of the tower's construction, the project aimed to create a space for the public to take ownership of the site and feel integrated within the tower. This concept, according to Fujimoto, is often lost when thinking of the conventional residential tower. "People’s lifestyles in Montpellier guided this project, which conveys a new vision of housing, one which is more harmonious and optimistic.”
Related: listen to our conversation with Sou Fujimoto:
it's wonderful to see a serious new building that looks odd and a bit ugly at first, but fascinating too. clever and prickly. refreshing change from the 10,000 variations of a parametric transformation pattern facade everyone else is doing.
is Montpellier actually earthquake prone?
Quite impressive how Fujimoto's delicate touch is translated into larger buildings than the Japanese family home. Can't wait to see it in use with plants, people, hammocks, barbecues etc.
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When I look at this all I think of is the Berekley balcony collapse.
sometimes making something obviously risky looking is safer because then people pay attention that it's being built properly. it's not like the berkley apartment balconies were even slightly unconventional or hazardous in design - they were just incompetent in construction.
... and incompetent in design.
Love this building. Amazing that it is in Montpellier.
I can’t tell if it works in reality or not yet or if it’s only from some angles but the view from the interior is as strong as the outside. A nice change from recent star driven projects.
His next project in France is more impressive if less avant-garde. Really looking forward to seeing that one built.
Japanese architects in france are doing lots of amazing work lately.
it's wonderful to see a serious new building that looks odd and a bit ugly at first, but fascinating too. clever and prickly. refreshing change from the 10,000 variations of a parametric transformation pattern facade everyone else is doing.
is Montpellier actually earthquake prone?
Looks like someone found a old Leonard da Vinci flying machine sketch. Anybody put a model of this thing in a wind-tunnel and crank the winds up to 30 miles an hour with pulsating gusts to 50?
The shop drawing submittals... I can’t even imagine.
In my humble opinion, good architecture includes designing a structure that is also reasonable for the other trades to interact with. The builder probably had a real hard time with this, the structural engineer, plumber, mechanical engineer also.
In the end, is the system even water tight? The person constructing the difficult or impossible angles in the field to make those joints work, I wonder if they did a consistent job in the field?
or difficult / impossible to maintain
how is this any different from any building anywhere other than the large cantilevers? The design is not that radical from practical perspective. Its basically a box with larger than normal balconies. Maintenance will be the same with any balcony. Better access than normal I suppose.
Here the apartments have balconies without interfering with the sunlight for the apartment below
Here.......?
maybe direct sunlight is not a priority in southern France? Just guessing...
Seems to be in Paris
it is in Montpellier, noted several times in the description.
Sunlight is a priority in Paris and even more so in Montpellier. No one goes to the south of France for nasty gray weather.
I'll just leave this here: https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2019-06-28---with-45-1-degrees-highest-temperature-ever-measured-in-france-.rkblxJs7xB.html (that's 113.18 in Fahrenheit)
I like Sou Fujimoto's work more than similarly diagram-oriented faux-functionalist (who shall not be named), but the process is still too object oriented and outside-in. It's probably not an accident why we see no interior images.
The shape is mildly interesting, but would get old after two days. I'm imagining the children will try to jump from balcony to balcony and get hurt. Inevitable temptation.
seems dumb... who has time to use those balconies anyway? wild guess but instead of novelty balconies you could probably add 15-20% more units
i think it's reasonable to assume Montpellier does not count balconies for FAR, or the developer got an exclusion for them here. Otherwise yeah, no owner is going to reduce sellable area to have outdoor space and views.
Many of Baron Haussmann's Parisian apartments have small balconies interconnected on some floors, small individual balconies on other floors, and no balconies on other floors. Even without any balconies the Haussmann buildings would be very attractive. Now imagine the L'Arbre Blanc without its balconies.
Hate it.
Bridges to nowhere.
To me it is a formal and spatial expression of rejection, hopeless, and despair. A building that inspires suicide.
^hopelessness
Quite impressive how Fujimoto's delicate touch is translated into larger buildings than the Japanese family home. Can't wait to see it in use with plants, people, hammocks, barbecues etc.
... parkour
Also!
Wonder how many unpaid interns he used to design this one.
how long till the first balcony gets 4 walls and a roof?
I love this, and as randomised said I'm eager to see how it looks as it ages and gets cluttered. Messy vitality.
Hope it ages better than Nagakin, which is my favorite experiment.
I'm presuming that this is a building that human beings will live in. How about some photos of what it's like in the units? What it's like to live there? That's by far and away the most important criteria...right?
Irrelevant. As long as it has the approved list of new appliances and bath fittings nobody will know the difference. Oh wait, it's France - bath fittings are irrelevant.
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