Pierres Vives

Book excerpt: A monographic look at Pierres Vives, Zaha Hadid's latest major work, and its innovative approach to spatial design and urban planning. This book documents the ten-year creation of Pierres Vives, an imposing new public building by world-renowned architect Zaha Hadid. The 28,500-square-meter stone and concrete sculptural structure brings Hadid's signature boundary-pushing spatial concepts to urban planning on a grand scale. Conceptualized as a "tree of knowledge" by Zaha Hadid as early as 2002, the structure combines three government functions--archives, a library, and a sports center--into one building to fill the needs of a growing population in Montpellier, France. This book is the definitive source of images for the built structure and the construction process, and explores the architect's design choices, allowing a deep understanding of the work and thought behind the structure.