Nestled up against the northern corner of the ITER platform, the wing-shaped ITER Headquarters includes offices for 500 people, meeting rooms, a Council Chamber, an auditorium, a library, and a canteen. A footbridge links the first floor of the Headquarters to a tunnel in the platform, providing direct pedestrian access to the Tokamak Control Room.

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 was financed by the European Domestic Agency, F4E, and France as Host country.

All along the 165 metres of the Headquarters' northwest façade, vertical sunshades 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 also lend structural strength to the building. 

Construction of the six-storey building (one basement level and five storeys) began in August 2010. Two auxiliary buildings house the ITER Medical Centre and the Welcome Building located close to the public entrance to the ITER site.

The 20,500-square-metre ITER Headquarters was completed in August 2012 and handed over to the ITER Organization on 5 October 2012. All ITER employees have now left temporary accommodation on the CEA Cadarache site for a more permanent "home." On 17 January 2013, the building was inaugurated in the presence of the EU Commissioner for Energy, Günther H. Oettinger, and the French Minister of Higher Education and Research, Geneviève Fioraso.

In 2013-2014, the Headquarters building will be extended to house a further 350 people.