- Antigone District
The Antigone District is a neighbourhood part of
Montpellier , southernFrance , at coord|43|36|29|N|3|53|24|E|type:landmark_region:FR. It is best known for its architectural design byRicardo Bofill .The district is build on the grounds of the former Joffre barracks, of which nowadays only Montpellier's
citadel remains. In1977 , then mayorGeorges Frêche started the process that led to the construction of the district.The district's
architect is Ricardo Bofill, from nearbyCatalonia . It is designed in a grand neo-classical way, blowing up classical motives such aspediment s,entablature s andpilaster s to gigantical scale. The district is located between the old centre of Montpellier and theriver Lez . At the opposite site of the river, the "Hôtel de la RégionLanguedoc-Roussillon " is also designed by Bofill and together with Antigone makes for one great visual axis 1kilometre in length, nicknamed "theChamps-Élysées of Montpellier".After Antigone, more sites on this side of Montpellier were developed.
The buildings consist mostly of low-income housing, public facilities and local shops, thus creating a lively district.
External links
* [http://housingprototypes.org/project?File_No=FRA010 Antigone district by R. Bofill] (with drawings and photos)
* [http://jezusmontpellier.skyblog.com/pics/697282527.jpg1 Picture]
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