Situated just below the ITER platform, the wing-shaped ITER Headquarters will include offices for 500 people, meeting rooms, a boardroom, an auditorium, a library, and a canteen. A footbridge will link the first floor of the Headquarters to the ITER Control Room which will be located one level below the project construction platform. The thirty-metre-long footbridge will become a tunnel when it reaches the platform, providing direct pedestrian access to the research facilities.

The innovative design of the ITER Headquarters was conceived by local architects Ricciotti and Bonhomme, who also designed the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur International School in Manosque that was completed in 2010. The construction of the ITER Headquarters is financed by the European Domestic Agency, F4E, and France as Host country.

All along the 165 metres of the Headquarters' northwest façade, vertical sunshades will create a striking visual effect; these slats will provide protection from the sun and create the impression of an undulating external veil, enhancing the building's integration into the landscape. Made of highly resistant fibre concrete, the sunshades will also provide structural strength to the building. 

Construction of the 20,500 square metre building began in August 2010. The five-storey structure (one basement level and four storeys) has now been erected and work continues on interior fittings.

Construction has also progressed well on two adjacent buildings: a small building to house the ITER Medical Centre and research facility access checkpoint, and the Welcome Building located close to the public entrance to the ITER site.

ITER Headquarters should be ready for occupation in summer 2012: at this time, ITER employees will leave temporary accommodation on the CEA Cadarache and ITER sites for a more permanent "home."