sou fujimoto's 'white tree' grows to its full height in the south of france

in 2014, sou fujimoto architects was chosen, as part of a larger team, to construct the second ‘architectural folly of the 21st century’ in the southern french city of montpellier. following in the footsteps of farshid moussavi, who designed the city’s first ‘architectural folly’, the 17-story mixed-use tower accommodates residential units, office space, an art gallery, a restaurant, and a panoramic bar.

image © cyrille weiner (main image © vincent hecht)

working alongside sou fujimoto architects, the project team also includes nicolas laisné, dimitri roussel, and OXO architectes. described as a ‘cross-cultural endeavor’, the scheme combines japanese and mediterranean styles. the site is strategically located between montpellier’s city center and the newly developed areas of port marianne and odysseum — midway between the town’s old and new districts.

image © cyrille weiner

named the ‘white tree’, or ‘arbre blanc’, the 10,000-square-meter building has been designed to appear as though it has grown organically out of the ground. protruding from the façade, the scheme’s various ‘branches’ provide selected areas of shade for adjacent properties. the tower also welcomes montpellier’s residents and visitors with a ground floor restaurant and art gallery, and a penthouse bar that provides panoramic views towards the ocean and neighboring mountain range. see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here.

image © cyrille weiner

image © cyrille weiner

image © vincent hecht

image © vincent hecht

image © vincent hecht

image © vincent hecht

image © vincent hecht

image © vincent hecht

image © vincent hecht

image © vincent hecht

image © vincent hecht

image © vincent hecht

image © vincent hecht

project info:

architects: sou fujimoto architects, nicolas laisné, dimitri roussel, and OXO architectes
location: montpellier, france
photography: © cyrille weiner, vincent hecht