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.

[6] Prior to the close of the competition, Alsop and Störmer's stage one proposal model was exhibited at the Arc-en-Rêve Centre d'Architecture, Bordeaux, in 1991;[7] the final version of the design, coloured blue by artist Brian Clarke, and with the facade artwork resolved, was exhibited after the building's construction at The Mayor Gallery in London,[8] and the Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York.

[11][12] The building developed its visual identity through the design process; Clarke and Alsop's final version, submitted as the winning competition entry, shifted from an all-white to an all-blue scheme.

[13][14][10] The colour, which approximates Yves Klein blue,[10]is cited by the architects as the portion of the design process that took the most time and consideration to resolve.