The conversion of this industrial area is currently the largest new development project in Paris. By 2023, it is planned to build more than 600,000 m2 of housing and offices, museums, galleries, hotels and shops on 45 hectares, as well as to lay out gardens and parks. Jean Nouvel was selected as the lead architect for the design and implementation of the Seguin Island project. One of his proposals was the construction of five towers with a height of about 100 meters in the heart of the new quarter. The architect announced the completion of the first of them, marked on the plan as "Block C1" (the second name is "Horizon").
Compositionally, the tower resembles a children's pyramid made of cubes: three blocks that are completely different in texture and size are hoisted on top of each other slightly at an angle. There is a feeling that these are three independent and completely unrelated buildings. The monumental basement, which houses the offices and shops, is faced with dark stone. On this imposing pedestal there is a lighter and more colorful middle tier with apartments. In terms of area, it is somewhat narrower than the foundation, and the vacant part is occupied by green terraces. Its facades are composed of protruding and receding white-orange-black panels, alternating with glass, which makes its texture porous and lightweight.
Finally, the third, final tier is absolutely transparent and resembles a greenhouse with a gable roof - this is a collapsible greenhouse. She, too, is surrounded by her own garden. Moreover, for each level of green terraces, Nouvel selected the most favorable plants: for the lower one - the cultures familiar to Parisians growing in Boulogne-Billancourt, for the middle one - strong alpine plants, for the greenhouse located at an altitude of 80 m - exotic ones.
