Campus Triolet: a forecourt named after Alexander Grothendieck (1928-2014)
One of the greatest mathematicians of the 20th century, Fields Medalist in 1966, Alexander Grothendieck (1928-2014)studied and taught in Montpellier. The City of Montpellier pays tribute to his memory by naming the redeveloped forecourt at the entrance to the Triolet campus of the University of Montpellier after him. A return to the tradition of honoring, in the public space, Montpellier academics who have left their mark on their discipline.
On Wednesday May 16, 2024, Michaël Delafosse, President of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole and Mayor of Montpellier, Philippe Augé, President of the University of Montpellier, and Cédric Villani, Fields Medalist (2010), inaugurated the "Alexander Grothendieck (1928-2014)" forecourt, entirely redeveloped by Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, in the presence of Jean-Michel Marin, Dean of the Faculty of Science, Daniele Di Pietro, Director of the Montpellier Alexander Grothendieck Institute, and numerous representatives of the university community.
This new development of public space, which gives direct access to the main entrance of the Triolet campus of the University of Montpellier, has enabled the area to be desilted, with the creation of large green islands which will be planted this autumn. It gives priority to active modes of transport for pedestrians and cyclists, linking the university to the "Universités des Sciences et Lettres" tramway line 1 station, the CROUS restaurant and the student residences. The pavement is made of deactivated concrete and a hydraulic protection basin has been created beneath the square. The work, financed by Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole as part of Opération Campus, cost €1,850,000.