Antigone District: Architectural Analysis

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The Antigone District is made up of three main architectural elements, being, La place du Nombre d’or, Port Juvenal and Hôtel de Région Languedoc Roussillon. (Bofill, 2017) All of which are influenced by classical architecture. The Architect Ricardo Bofill is known to be post-modernist but influenced by history. Elements such as pillars, pediments, arches and so on are merged into the modern architecture, changing them to suit their surroundings yet their core principles are kept. (Enforex, 2017) Many ideologies from the Classical era were carried out in the design of these buildings. Bofill’s designs combined the past with the present to create what is known as one of the most famous Districts. Ricardo Bofill is a Spanish architect. When …show more content…

It was a continuation of La place du Nombre d’or. Ricardo Bofill was commissioned to design it and so the classical influence continued. The classical features are clear throughout the design. It is a semi-circular building designed for apartments. (Bofill, 2017) Like that of The Royal Crescent in Bath which is a clear neo-classical reference. (Yaari, 2008) It is the shape of an amphitheatre, adjoined by a colonnade and includes elements such as pediments, plinths, capitols, friezes and balustrades. (Bofill, …show more content…

(Bofill, 2017) Because of its use as a government building, for administrative business, the building needed to be monumental. The design was inspired by a triumphal arch, first brought about by the Romans, such as the Arch of Constantine. It acts as a gateway into Montpellier and is built from Concrete and glass (Yaari, 2008), changed in such a way as to suit its surroundings yet the core principles of a classical arch are kept allowing the viewer to make the connection between a modern-day hotel and a arch. While it acts primarily as a hotel and place of parliament, it has many underlying poetic aspects such as that of its use, of a city gate and its linear qualities ending off the Antigone district. (Yaari, 2008) The construction of the arch itself is classical. Using glass pillars and pediments to create an arch. Here they have taken two classical architectural elements and combined them by supplementing the arch with pillars and pediments. (Bofill,