The new building will house three institutions: the city archives, the library and the sports department of the Hérault Department, whose capital is Montpellier.
Since it is required to combine completely different institutions in one building, Hadid made the basis of her project their clear division within the boundaries of a single structure.
The tree of knowledge was chosen as a structural diagram. Archives serve as a monolithic base of the "trunk" oriented horizontally, higher - further - there is a library with a large number of windows, and on the very top tier there are well-lit sports administration offices. Glass "branches" extend from the trunk, which mark the common areas and entrances to various institutions on the facades of the building.
The main, western façade is overlooked by the main entrances to all three sections of the building, united by a lobby and a central exhibition hall stretched along the façade. Above the first floor, all three institutes are spatially delimited. Each has its own internal system of vertical "circulation" of visitors and employees, organized by elevators and escalators. The main "transport artery" of the building runs on the second floor, marked on the facade by a horizontal glazed niche. The reading rooms of the archive and the library go there. Also connected to it is a block of the general conference hall, which protrudes above the main entrance.
