Hôtel du département des Bouches-du-Rhône

The Hôtel du département des Bouches-du-Rhône, known as Le Grand Bleu, is the headquarters and council chambers of the Conseil General of Bouches-du-Rhône in Marseille, France. The Sterling Prize-nominated building, noted for its distinct ultramarine colour, was designed by architects Will Alsop and Jan Störmer as the new regional government headquarters. Located north of Marseille's city centre, in the Saint-Just district, the High-Tech structure was designed to combine dispersed administrative functions into a single site. The winner of an international architecture competition launched in 1989, which in its final round saw Alsop and John Lyall compete versus established architectural practice Foster + Partners, the Hôtel du département was designed with architectural artist Brian Clarke, who conceived the colouration and treatment of the facade as a “skin of art”. The landmark High-tech building, the largest public building to be constructed in the French provinces in the twentieth century, was built in 26 months, opening in 1994.