The Le Belaroïa complex is built on a complex triangular site next to the Saint-Roche train station and the flyover. To accommodate 10,000 m2 of hotel rooms, seminar rooms and other functions, the architects designed the project as a spatial puzzle. Moreover, the main role was played not by volumes, but by voids, more precisely, by the central niche.
The terrace facing the station on the second floor of the building houses a cafe, which is used for breakfast by guests of the 4 * hotel, and in the afternoon and in the evening it is open to everyone. In summer, the sun is too high to overheat (although there are still umbrellas), and in winter, its low rays just save visitors from the cold. Above the terrace, there is a "well" not covered by the upper volume of Le Belaroïa, which creates air movement on it and thus coolness.
The two lower volumes (from the 3rd to the 8th floors) are occupied by two hotels - Golden Tulip 4 * (102 rooms) and Campanile 3 * (80 rooms). They are connected into a corner, so the architects managed to make a common fire escape for them and thereby save space. Below them, on the first two floors, are their common lobby, restaurant, spa and six conference and seminar rooms. There is a garage underground.
The hotels, with their reinforced concrete structure, are overlapped by a third volume from above, a 4-storey "bridge" with a hybrid steel and reinforced concrete structure. It is slightly curved, which made it particularly difficult to design the framework. It houses 12 apartments and several of the largest Golden Tulip rooms: some of them are two-level. Four duplex apartments - on the upper two floors of the building - received one upstairs room, overlooking the rooftop pool. Buyers could choose whether they wanted to make this room a kitchen or a bedroom.
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zooming 1/6 Hotel complex Le Belaroïa Photo © Luc Boegly
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zooming 2/6 Hotel complex Le Belaroïa Photo © Luc Boegly
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zooming 3/6 Hotel complex Le Belaroïa Photo © Julien Thomazo
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zooming 4/6 Hotel complex Le Belaroïa Photo © Luc Boegly
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zooming 5/6 Hotel complex Le Belaroïa Photo © Julien Thomazo
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zooming 6/6 Hotel complex Le Belaroïa Photo © Julien Thomazo
All the facades of Le Belaroïa are covered with white metal panels: either solid (or micro-perforated), or with large round openings - the windows of the rooms. On the residential level, the panels hide the terraces behind them and can be moved. The white color reduces the heating of the building in summer, which is very important in the Mediterranean climate of Montpellier.
The complex appeared in the reconstruction zone of the Saint-Roche district: this is the first project ready there. The architects suggested adding housing to the project: in their opinion, like public spaces, this is the most important function for the city, making it alive. Le Belaroïa's budget is 19 million euros.
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zooming 1/4 Hotel complex Le Belaroïa Photo © Julien Thomazo
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zooming 2/4 Hotel complex Le Belaroïa Photo © Luc Boegly
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zooming 3/4 Hotel complex Le Belaroïa Photo © Luc Boegly
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zooming 4/4 Hotel complex Le Belaroïa Photo © Luc Boegly
