There are a lot of weird-looking architectural renderings on the internet, and most of them never get built ? so it?s kind of fun when some of those proposals end up existing in the real world. L?Arbre Blanc Tower isn?t particularly outlandish, but it?s certainly unusual, and now that it?s complete, it serves as an interesting example of how digital concepts translate to three-dimensional structures.

Its name means ?The White Tree,? and it?s easy to see why, though the result ends up looking more like a spiny cactus than branches sprouting from a narrow trunk. Sou Fujimoto Architects collaborated with Nicolas Laisné Associés, Dmitri Roussel/DREAM, and Manal Rachdi Oxo Architects to produce this mixed-use multifamily project for Montpellier, France. Its defining feature is clearly the many cantilevered balconies of varying lengths that protrude from its facade in all directions.
Winner of the 2013 ?Folie Richter? competition by the Montpellier city council, which sought a blueprint for a beacon tower to enrich the city?s architectural heritage, the 17-floor L?Arbre Blanc demonstrates a novel way to give all of the inhabitants of an apartment tower access to the outdoors and gorgeous views of the city. On the ground floor is a glass-walled space full of shops and cafés, while the top floor contains a bar that?s open to the public and a common area for residents, so even those who live on the bottom floor can enjoy panoramic vistas.

The balconies act li...