Year: 1991
Client: Sous Prefecture
Location: Meaux

Within the administrative seat, the prefecture fulfils the primary role of recomposing an urban identity of the area. The aim of the design was to make this public building a reference image portraying the presence of the State within the city.

The design is very compact with emphasis on verticality. The departments are divided within the white-marble office building, the heart of the functional building, bearing a cone cloaked in a "Knit Tunic" (staircase and vertical links), a wink and nod to the medieval world of the splendid Meaux Cathedral. The great hall, whose sides are covered with large sandblasted glass panels, develops along a semi-circle on the ground floor, which is accessed by a steel and wood footbridge over a water basin. The blending of natural light, filtered light from the sandblasted glass, and reflected light from the water imparts a special ambience to the environment, thus exalting the contemporary image of this public building.