"That the proposed site be occupied by developments and buildings of civic importance and public character", suggested the competition program.
Here, the office building seems a necessary signal and takes up all the interest. "Although it depends on elements that cannot be depended on, for example, the office tower and the great theater, the grouping of the buildings shows a lot of resourcefulness in order to achieve a happy sequence of spaces and an excellent treatment of the levels." The ensemble seems to belong to a large metropolis.
The general layout of the building's plan allows for a great deal of flexibility, and its functioning is excellent if one does not take into account certain administrative functions that have been misinterpreted. The Council Chamber, although included in the main body of the building, is skillfully expressed and highlights the interplay of interior and exterior levels.
The architectural theme has a certain dignity but, it seems to us, some awkwardness. The choice of an architectural idiom leads this competitor to a dead end where he needs a lot of talent to develop it. Moreover, the chosen idiom can be identified with recent American architecture. It seems that its sterility cannot in the future inspire and sustain an ever new interest.
We believe that by exploiting the three main areas expressed in the plan, this parti could result in a more lively treatment.
(From jury report)
(Unofficial automated translation)
