The uniqueness of this new 180-meter tower lies in the fact that it will be erected on the territory of "Petite Paris" (the La Defense district with its ten high-rise buildings is officially a suburb). Until now, only the Montparnasse skyscraper (210 m), which appeared in the 1970s and is very unloved by the townspeople due to its unfortunate location among low-rise buildings, has been built within the limits of the ring road in the French capital.
However, the tower of Swiss architects will appear in the opposite part of the city from Montparnasse, at the Versailles outpost. Due to its shape - its volume is a "thinned" pyramid of Cheops, retaining its width - 200 m, but very reduced in depth, having reduced to 13 m - it will even cast a very small shadow, and also, due to its orientation along Ernest Avenue -Renan, she won't be overly visible in the urban landscape. The "vibrating" façade solution is slightly reminiscent of the architects' recent project for New York.
Developers, Unibail, said the new skyscraper will revitalize the nearby Paris-Expo park, allowing Paris to compete with trade fair leaders such as Milan and Barcelona. Its offices are designed for 5,000 employees; various public spaces and institutions are also planned in the building: winter gardens, a swimming pool, a library and even the Museum of the Languages of the World. The first floors of the building will be occupied by shops and restaurants.
Despite the real estate crisis, which threatened the implementation of such ambitious Parisian projects as the Far and Signal Towers in La Défense, Herzog and de Meuron's proposal received the full support of Mayor Bertrand Delano. Thanks to this, there should be no difficulties with the approval of the project, despite the fact that the municipal council of Paris is only considering a decree allowing the construction of buildings in the city above 37 m. Undoubtedly, many Parisians will oppose the new construction, but Jacques Herzog is ready for this: he said that the main thing for him is to enter into a constructive dialogue with the residents, and it is not difficult for him to make changes to the project.
Herzog & de Meuron has already erected one of its buildings in Paris - a residential building on the Rue-de-Suis.
