Sou Fujimoto’s Seminal Arbre Blanc Arrives in Montpellier

The White Tree was first initiated in 2014 in France, by the Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto. According to the project website, the White Tree, or Arbre Blanc, is the fruit of an encounter between Japan and the Mediterranean. Created in collaboration with the French architects Manal Rachdi, Nicolas Laisné and Dimitri Roussel, the spaceship-like structure can now be found in Montpellier’s Richter district. A new contemporary emblem in the heart of the Mediterranean city, the White Tree is a cultural hybrid which blends avant-garde French architecture with Japanese culture and heritage. The project was brought to fruition by Sou Fujimoto, who carefully oversaw the birthing of this work of art.

Having graduated from engineering school in Tokyo in 1994, the architect founded his agency, Sou Fujimoto Architects in 2000. He began to make a name for himself in 2005 after winning the young architect prize three years on the trot at the Architectural Review Awards, one of the most prestigious international architecture prizes. In 2008 Fujimoto published ‘Primitive Future’ a manifesto drawing on the philosophy of intuitive and unconstrained architecture which became a best seller in its year of publication. It is unsurprising therefore that he was subsequently invited to exhibit at the Venice Biennale of Architecture in 2012, representing the Japanese pavilion. Today he is considered one of the biggest names in contemporary architecture, rethinking the space between nature and artifice, and producing unique forms in constant evolution.

With 200 balconies designed to look like leaves, the White Tree is a veritable architectural achievement. These terraces, measuring 35m2 are attached directly to the facade, and are the longest in the world, dwarfing the next largest at 7.5m. These balconies are a way of living both inside and outside simultaneously, but also allow for the reduction of energy consumption as they protect the facade from the sun and automatically cool down the apartments inside. Fifty-six metres tall, the tower block has 17 floors and 113 apartments, offering residents exceptional views across the Mediterranean and the Pic Saint-Loup with its rooftop bar which opened at the end of May. At the foot of the building, both residents and curious passersby can dine at the restaurant on the banks of the Lez.

With all of the apartments already sold, the White Tree is breathing new life into Montpellier and its grand architectural tradition, sharing a postcode with the Pierresvives building by Zaha Hadid, the town hall built by Jean Nouvel, and the Antigone district conceived of by Ricardo Bofill during the 1970s. According to the project website, the tower block sees itself as a central point in the city, like Mount Fuji of the Midi, at the heart of the collective imaginary. The development, a seminal work of contemporary Japanese minimalism, is both philosophical and strategic from a future-oriented perspective.