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Hôtel du département des Bouches-du-Rhône

The Hôtel du département des Bouches-du-Rhône, known as Le Grand Bleu, is the headquarters and council chambers of the Conseil General of Bouches-du-Rhône in Marseille, France. The Sterling Prize-nominated building, noted for its distinct ultramarine colour, was designed by architects Will Alsop and Jan Störmer as the new regional government headquarters. Located north of Marseille's city centre, in the Saint-Just district, the High-Tech structure was designed to combine dispersed administrative functions into a single site. The winner of an international architecture competition launched in 1989, which in its final round saw Alsop and John Lyall compete versus established architectural practice Foster + Partners,[2] the Hôtel du département was designed with architectural artist Brian Clarke, who conceived the colouration and treatment of the facade as a “skin of art”.[3] The landmark High-tech building,[4] the largest public building to be constructed in the French provinces in the twentieth century, was built in 26 months,[5] opening in 1994.

Departmental Council of Bouches-du-Rhône
Hôtel du département des Bouches-du-Rhône
Map
Alternative namesLe Grand Bleu, Vaisseau Bleu, Le Bateau Bleu
General information
Architectural styleHigh-tech
Address52 Avenue de Saint-Just
Town or cityMarseille
CountryFrance
Coordinates43°18′54″N 5°24′21″E / 43.3150°N 5.4059°E / 43.3150; 5.4059
Current tenantsConseil Départemental des Bouches-du-Rhône
Construction started1991
Completed1994
InauguratedSeptember 1994
ClientConseil fédéral des Bouches-du-Rhône[1]
Height66
Technical details
Floor area80,000 m2 (860,000 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Will Alsop
Architecture firmAlsop & Störmer
Structural engineerOve Arup & Partners
Other designersBrian Clarke
Awards and prizesRIBA Worldwide Projects Award (1997), RIBA Civic & Community Architecture Award (1995), Palmarés Award for Architecture (1995)
Website
www.departement13.fr

History

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Competition

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At the time of the brief for the competition, the department council had its administrative functions dispersed over 23 locations, and the centralisation of these activities was a key element in the design considerations for the open competition, which took place in two stages.[6] Prior to the close of the competition, Alsop and Störmer's stage one proposal model was exhibited at the Arc-en-Rêve Centre d'Architecture, Bordeaux, in 1991;[7] the final version of the design, coloured blue by artist Brian Clarke, and with the facade artwork resolved, was exhibited after the building's construction at The Mayor Gallery in London,[8] and the Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York.[9]

Development

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Construction was begun on the site in Marseille's northern suburbs in 1991, and was completed in 1994; the building was officially inaugurated in September of that year.[10] The Hôtel du Département is the largest public building in Marseille.[11][12]

Colour

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The building developed its visual identity through the design process; Clarke and Alsop's final version, submitted as the winning competition entry, shifted from an all-white to an all-blue scheme.[10] The completed building is externally clad in blue-coloured glass, rendered through a novel technique of ceramic glazing devised by Clarke, to produce a 'skin of art' across the entire building; along the west elevation is a 1,200-square-metre (13,000 sq ft) linear composition by Clarke in bands of ceramic glaze screenprinted onto the panels of the facade.[13][14][10] The colour, which approximates Yves Klein blue,[10]is cited by the architects as the portion of the design process that took the most time and consideration to resolve.

Structure

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The building is formed of two administrative blocks linked by an atrial space, and a separate building, the 'Deliberatif' or debating chamber, abuting onto the two blocks. The building is notable for its distinctive X-shaped concrete support columns or pilotis, cast in situ.

References

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  1. ^ Sbriglio, Jacques; Biget, Marie-Hélène (1993). "Guides d'Architecture: L'Hôtel du Département". Marseille, 1945-1993. Guides d'architecture. Marseille : [Paris]: Editions Parenthèses ; Diffusion P.U.F. pp. 90–93. ISBN 978-2-86364-075-3.
  2. ^ Hôtel du Département, Marseille, France. Norman Foster Foundation. Retrieved 5 April 2022. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  3. ^ Alsop, William; Spens, Michael (1994). Le Grand Bleu, Marseilles: Hôtel du Département des Bouches-du-Rhône. London: Academy Editions. ISBN 1854903578.
  4. ^ Donati, Cristina (16 May 2018). "Will Alsop (1947-2018): controverso, iconoclasta e stravagante". Il Giornale dell'Architettura. The Architectural Post.
  5. ^ "Le Grand Bleu". aLL Design. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  6. ^ "L'Hôtel du Département". Département Bouches-du-Rhône. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  7. ^ "Alsop and Störmer Architects: Le Grand Bleu, Marseille / Michael Spens". Bibliothèque Kandinsky. Centre Pompidou. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  8. ^ "Hôtel du Département des Bouches-du-Rhône, Marseille". The Mayor Gallery. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  9. ^ "Brian Clarke - Le Grand Bleu". brianclarke.co.uk. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
  10. ^ a b c d Spens, Michael (20 July 1994). "From out of the big blue yonder: a British architect has given Marseilles a heroic palace for local democracy". Independent. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  11. ^ Fiorito, Jean-Jacques (2 February 2017). "Le "Vaisseau bleu" sur les flots". La Provence.
  12. ^ Pearman, Hugh (13 February 1994). "The Big Blue". The Sunday Times: The Culture. The Sunday Times.
  13. ^ Powell, Kenneth (1994). "Architectural Artist". In Hodges, Nicola (ed.). Brian Clarke: Architectural Artist. Academy Editions: art and design monographs. Great Britain: Academy Group Ltd. ISBN 9781854903433.
  14. ^ Pearman, Hugh (13 February 1994). "The Big Blue". The Sunday Times.

Further reading

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