Groupe Chronos

The new town hall in the City of Montpellier embodies a spirit of Livable Cities though: community, sustainability, and accessibility. "We wanted to renew the genus of this place and give an aspect of urban conviviality that this generation has lost sight of," explained Urbanist and Architect Mr. François Fontès. Community - The vast 6,000 m2 public square will be lined by retail stores and 250 new housing units, 50 of which dedicated to low-income residents. For Urbanist and Architecht Jean Nouvel, "The notion of a togetherness - public spaces, commerce, and housing," is the most striking attribute of the project. Sustainability - Montpellier has every interest to use its greatest resource - solar energy. With 1,300 m2 of photovoltaic pergolas, the future town hall is estimated to produce approximately 20% of its electricity needs while blocking the direct sun rays in the summer months. "The city's commitment to building a High Qualified Environmental town hall demonstrates an exciting change in politics towards sustainable cities. Home owners can follow the city's lead by taking advantage of large subsidies from ADEME and the Hérault region, before sustainability requirements are imposed." says Mathieu Moliner, co-founder of Smalt Energie. Accessibility - Montpellier seems to understand that Sustainable transportation is critical to good real estate development. With a booming increase in demographics (9.86% annually, which is 4.88% higher than the national French average). They are therefore simultaneously breaking ground on a third tramline to service the East-West demands. Trams, however, won't be the only way to access the new municipal hub. They will compliment the city's bike-sharing (VéloMagg') and car-sharing (Modulauto) services.

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