The Montpellier authorities initially wanted to get not an ordinary commercial 17-storey building with 113 apartments, but a high-quality piece of architecture that exists not only for its residents, but also for the townspeople. This approach is determined by the location of the building - on the banks of the River Les, next to the famous Ricardo Bofill "Antigone" district, which includes the government building of the Languedoc-Roussillon region.
L'Arbre Blanc (White Wood) responds to the hot and sunny Mediterranean climate with its many balconies and trellised awnings, as well as white, which reduces heat from the sun. Console balconies with a drawbridge-type structure protrude forward to a length of up to 7.5 m and are able to withstand significant loads, that is, they can be furnished and used as living rooms. Their area varies from 7 to 35 m2, duplex apartments received two interconnected balconies.
There are about 300 sunny days a year here, so the possibility of living outdoors is in great demand. In addition, balconies and awnings shade the facade and interior and "break" the wind blowing obliquely towards the facade.
All the balconies offer views: the architects specifically looked after this during the design.
The first, glazed floor is occupied by a gallery, that is, the house is not fenced off from the city and pedestrians. On the roof there is a restaurant and bar accessible to everyone, as well as a terrace for residents.
