L'hôtel du Département

The hôtel du Département was completed in 1989 and was designed to house the administrative offices of the Bas-Rhin département. Made of stone and metal, this futuristic building runs alongside the river Ill, just next to the Petite France and was built on land previously occupied by old military barracks.

Its imposing volume and massive structure forms a three-way dialogue with the nearby Vauban dam and the Museum of Modern Art. The 3 buildings, linked by their horizontality, form a harmonious whole, offering a fresh entranceway to the Grande-Île inner-city.

A massive, ship-like building designed by Alsace-born architect Claude Vasconi

Vasconi designed the building in the form of a ship tied up to a dock, a nod to its riverside setting. The crucial link to the city is provided by the facade running next to a bridge (pont des frères Matthis) and rue Humann, which faithfully reproduces the curves in the streets.

Vasconi’s trademark repetitive alignment of the windows shapes the facades and hints at the functional elegance and open spaces which are standout features of the building’s interior.