PARIS | Tour Phare | 971 FT / 296 M | 71 FLOORS

[Metropolitan]

La Défense business district will get a second supertall skyscraper by 2012. The winner of the contest is the American architect Thom Mayne (Morphosis).


Updated model (December 13th, 2010)

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5127/5201708128_2786c559ab_b.jpg



Updated images (August 23rd, 2010)

http://morphopedia.com/uploads/6.11-Vue_09_Visuel_09-l.jpg

http://morphopedia.com/uploads/6.5b-Vue_17_Nuit-l.jpg

http://morphopedia.com/uploads/6.14-00_Vue_03_V04-l.jpg

http://morphopedia.com/uploads/6.12-00_Vue_04_V02-l.jpg

http://morphopedia.com/uploads/6.7-Vue_16_Berkeley-l.jpg

http://morphopedia.com/uploads/6.9-Vue_11_visuel11-l.jpg

Cladding Test :
http://morphopedia.com/uploads/IMG_2_0500web-512.jpg

[starvinggryphon]

I think it only looks good from a few angles and I'm not quite sure about the mess on top.

[Biff]

I have got to say that i'm not the biggest fan of this new organic looking design trend happening right now. I don't mind it so much for lower wider buildings but for skyscrapers it kind of bugs me. I am tired of twisting towers too. Sorry to damper the mood of another 1,000 ft building but...blaaah

[MayDay]

http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/tourshmoo.jpg

[Biff]

Do they use Dippity-Do to keep the crown stiff in the wind?

[dropdeaded209]

does that escalator sticking out of the bottom remind anyone else of that klingon-looking tower destined for kentucky? color me unimpressed.

[lax723]

Paris has chosen an American architect to build the French capital's tallest new building since the Eiffel Tower in the 19th Century

The new curving skyscraper will be the centrepiece of a redevelopment project in the north-west of Paris.

Thom Mayne's Los Angeles-based company Morphosis beat off rivals as prestigious as the UK's Norman Foster and France's Jean Nouvel.

Building regulations have kept tall buildings out of Paris for 30 years.

One notable exception is the Tour Montparnasse which rises 180 metres (590 ft) in the south-west of the capital.

An international jury announced the winner, following a contest organised by French property group Unibail as part of a project to revamp La Defense business district.

The Paris city government opposes plans for a new skyscraper in the district, but the project is backed by French public body EPAD, which is in charge of the district's wider renovation, AFP news agency reports.

Ecobuilding

At 300 metres (990 ft), the Lighthouse will come a close second to the Eiffel Tower, which rises to 324 metres.


PARIS TALL STRUCTURES
Eiffel Tower: 324 metres
The Lighthouse: 300 metres
Montparnasse: 180 metres

It is due to be completed in 2012 and will cost an estimated 800m euros ($1.05bn) to build.

Its twin structure will combine a rectangular base with a soaring, organic-shaped tower, capped by a field of wind turbines.

Unibail described the project as an "architectural event... that pays tribute to the major buildings in La Defense - the CNIT and the Great Arch".

Last year, Thom Mayne was awarded the Pritzker prize, the world's top architecture award.

"It's about an icon, and one of the major buildings in Paris," he said of the winning project.

He added the building would be "a prototype for a green building" with a wind farm generating its own heating and a "double skin" of steel and glass to a self-cooling mechanism for the hotter months.

His works include Los Angeles' new mass transit hub, the Taipei Design Centre and Seoul's Sun Tower.

[MayDay]

Thanks for the press release. I'm familiar with Mayne and his other work.

I still say this tower looks like the Shmoo.

[Metropolitan]

PARIS TALL STRUCTURES
Eiffel Tower: 324 metres
The Lighthouse: 300 metres
Montparnasse: 180 metresWell, sorry to correct the news also here, but the Montparnasse tower is 210 meter-tall, not 180. Here is the full list of Paris Top 10: Eiffel Tower: 324 m, built
Generali Tower: 300 m/310 m, approved
Signal Tower (what you call "lighthouse"): approx. 300 m, approved
AXA Tower: 225 m, heightening due to start by 2007
Montparnasse Tower: 210 meters, built
Total Tower: 187 m, built
T1 Tower: 185 m, under construction
Areva Tower: 184 m, built
Granite Tower: 180 m, under construction
Gan Tower: 179 m, built

Here is the SSP diagram for Paris:
http://www.skyscraperpage.com/diagrams/?23993791

[MayDay]

On second thought, I realized that perhaps my Shmoo comparison was a bit harsh. Having reconsidered my initial thoughts, it occured to me that I was in error - it's not a Shmoo, it's a Sea Cucumber. :D

http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/tourseacucumber.jpg

[Fabb]

http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/tourshmoo.jpg

^Sadly, that is totally correct.
Some people have mentioned the belly of a pregnant woman.

[Metropolitan]

I've found the Schmoo comparison funnier. ;)

[MolsonExport]

http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/tourshmoo.jpg


:jester:

[Metropolitan]

^Sadly, that is totally correct.
Some people have mentioned the belly of a pregnant woman.I fail to see the pregnant woman. I can understand Schmoo because of the curbs, but the pregant woman, I hardly see it. :koko:

The tower is in curb, there's no bump on it.

[dougtheengineer]

I think its hideous. Its unfortunate that engineering advances allow architects to run this wild.....

[Fabb]

After being the worst collection of bland, mediocre architecture, La Défense is turning itself into a freak show.

Why not a simple and elegant 90 story-tower ?

[WonderlandPark]

I am one of Thom Mayne's biggest fans, and have been following his work for years now. Diamond Ranch High is simply one of the best projects of the entire last decade. But, IMO, his work doesn't scale up well. The 13 story Caltrans building is about as big as his work looks decent in, after visiting the new 20+ story SF Federal building, I was dissapointed, it has all the charm of a Borg Cube. I can't say I am a fan of this tower, either.

[drew]

It would look a lot better if they simply forgot about that bunch of spikey metal at the top...

When I saw it first, it kinda reminded me of "Beaker" from the muppets...?

[Grumpy]

I do like the top , the street level looks like an unfinished tube system => very ugly

[MayDay]

"When I saw it first, it kinda reminded me of "Beaker" from the muppets...?"

I suppose I can see that:
http://www.clevelandskyscrapers.com/tourbeaker.jpg

[Metropolitan]

Well, personally, I do like the tower. I find it very elegant. Please people, remember that what you're looking for are 2D renderings, try to imagine the tower as if you were on La Défense esplanade.

Clearly, I'm no fan of the hairs on the top of the structure. The pinacle has to be rethought. However, the tower is well-proportionated and I don't find the design awful at all. It's actually very pleasing. The only thing I'm scared is that the tower could look fat from some angles, but once comparing the floor area to the height, we do realize it couldn't be the case. Seriously, this will be a great addition to Paris. :)

[High Pointer]

Wow...if there was ever a supertall I didn't want built, it would be this one. Normally I enjoy/tolerate organic towers, but this one's somehow bad enough even without the crown, which I will henceforth refer to as Don King's hair. :yuck:

[Benhamin]

It looks like an electron microscope view of some sort of smelling cell, the top looks like cilia.

Eww. Sorry Paris, but this looks gross to me.

[R@ptor]

I think it's an amazing design, especially the lower half of the building. They only need to get rid of the 'hairs' on top of it. But then I always liked organic buildings.

[malec]

I think this is a ground-shatterer in the making, you know, one of those that everyone loathes but after some years it becomes one of the best things ever.

[toddguy]

loathesome monstrosity IMHO. The Paris city government has my sympathy.

[J Church]

You're killing me, MayDay. Not like Mayne is about to slay Paris, but still.

[kznyc2k]

Congratulations. Technology and engineering has advanced to the point that we can make 1,000 foot replicas of underwater cucumbers. Boy oh boy, I can't wait until I see a 700 foot squid on the skyline in my hometown!

[Metropolitan]

Take the time to look at it before being so radical. I do agree that those hairs are a real pain, but outside of them, the tower is really elegant:

http://static.flickr.com/112/308954906_b32555faf5_o.jpg

[Alliance]

I love the bottom of this building, but I agree with Raptor that the top needs a little work. More integration?

[MayDay]

Outside of the "hairs", the building looks like not only the Shmoo, but Gleep (or Gloop) from "The Herculoids".

[NYC2ATX]

I must say I'm intrigued by Thom Mayne designing a skyscraper. I believe that's a first. I'm for anything as unique as this. This will most likely be something people don't like immediately, but do after a while, like uhhh . . . the Eiffel Tower. :rolleyes:

Besides, we have a gherkin in London, why not a cucumber in Paris? :tup:

[Stephenapolis]

I think this is a ground-shatterer in the making, you know, one of those that everyone loathes but after some years it becomes one of the best things ever.
I am inclined to agree with this statement.
At this time, it looks odd. The shape is fine but the top looks unfinished or even wrecked. But only time can tell on this one.

[NYguy]

Eww. Sorry Paris, but this looks gross to me.

It's a frightening building. This crap for a city that has the beautiful Eiffel Tower.

[toddguy]

Take the time to look at it before being so radical. I do agree that those hairs are a real pain, but outside of them, the tower is really elegant:

http://static.flickr.com/112/308954906_b32555faf5_o.jpg
I will admit that in this view..if you kind of cover up the top 'hairy' part...it is not so horrendous. In this view it is not so bad...until you get near the top.

[Diddle E Squat]

So if they build it with wreckage already on top, the terrorists won't attack it, is that the theory?

Looks like they forgot to add the white flag in the rendering.

[LeftCoaster]

I think this is a ground-shatterer in the making, you know, one of those that everyone loathes but after some years it becomes one of the best things ever.

Well when that happens I will admit I was wrong... but in the meantime BARF!:yuck:

I agree with the other posters however that the auctual building is sound... they just need to do something with the aptly named 'don kings hair'

[skylife]

Wow - I like it (except for the pubes, of course).

[FrancoRey]

:previous: I think about a dozen people have already mentioned it, but here's my simile: :2cents:

Get rid of the damn top. To me it looks like a giant severed leg that fell from space and landed in a disconfigured spot in the middle of the Paris Skyline. :yuck:

[hoosier]

So if they build it with wreckage already on top, the terrorists won't attack it, is that the theory?

Looks like they forgot to add the white flag in the rendering.

Fuck you, you stupid ignorant francophile. Why don't you go over to Iraq and massacre some innocent Iraqi children with the U.S. troops.

And Britain very nearly fell to Germany in WWII, if not for the English Channel. Many French men and women risked their lives working for Le Maquis, the French resistance to Nazi occupation and helped make the D-Day invasion the success it was.

[Sacto]

Wow - I like it (except for the pubes, of course).

I guess those pubes are to cushion the lightning strikes

[Eigenwelt]

out.fucking.standing.

[skylife]

Fuck you, you stupid ignorant francophile. Why don't you go over to Iraq and massacre some innocent Iraqi children with the U.S. troops.

And Britain very nearly fell to Germany in WWII, if not for the English Channel. Many French men and women risked their lives working for Le Maquis, the French resistance to Nazi occupation and helped make the D-Day invasion the success it was.

Francophile? Wrong word. I'm just sayin'.

[toddguy]

Fuck you, you stupid ignorant francophile. Why don't you go over to Iraq and massacre some innocent Iraqi children with the U.S. troops.

And Britain very nearly fell to Germany in WWII, if not for the English Channel. Many French men and women risked their lives working for Le Maquis, the French resistance to Nazi occupation and helped make the D-Day invasion the success it was.

You did mean francophobe right? And I agree..while I am not a fan of this building.. the comment was unwarranted and unnecessary. (And not to forget that without the French help we may not have won our little revolution some 200 plus years ago.) :)

[aaron38]

Not that I'm likely to ever get the chance, but I don't think I'd want to stand under it. I'm sure it is, but the base just doesn't look - stable.
That was my first impression - that it looked rickety.

[Dalton]

An American architect designed this for Paris, eh? He must be a Republican. And a Bush supporter. If this thing is built, French people will finally have a valid reason to hate America. This tops most Dubai projects for attrociousness and even rivals the Chicago Spire in its tacky "organic" overstatement.

[Diddle E Squat]

Fuck you, you stupid ignorant francophile. Why don't you go over to Iraq and massacre some innocent Iraqi children with the U.S. troops.

And Britain very nearly fell to Germany in WWII, if not for the English Channel. Many French men and women risked their lives working for Le Maquis, the French resistance to Nazi occupation and helped make the D-Day invasion the success it was.

Lighten up, Francis.

Neither Francophile nor Francophobe, but simply frank (and indeed 1/4 French by blood, with roots tracing all the way back to Charlemagne.)

It is a silly design worthy of ridicule, designed by an American architect (a pretentious leftist, BTW, in response to someone's ignorant jump to conclusions in another post.) Sad that some Frenchmen were suckered into accepting this design, but much of modern art and architecture is simply about marketing. Lots of people will worship a turd if a Music Man tells them that it is 'art'. Heck, why not design the next building as a giant poop pile with genuine poop smeared on the walls, then some here can gush about how 'visionary', 'bold', and 'unique' it is, how it must be respected because it has never been done before, and how in 10 years we'll all love it.

Sometimes the emperor really doesn't have any clothes, regardless of nationality.

[LT4f]

I have got to say that i'm not the biggest fan of this new organic looking design trend happening right now. I don't mind it so much for lower wider buildings but for skyscrapers it kind of bugs me. I am tired of twisting towers too. Sorry to damper the mood of another 1,000 ft building but...blaaah
Exactly!
For some reason most people on SSC love this building, I can't understand why, that's why I have to come here where people have better taste.
I am so sick and tired of the organic towers, and all those curves, it's infuriating.
It does wonders for lowrises, but for a wannabe supertall, it looks like this, a pile of poo.
The base is fucked up, it's way too wide where it shouldn't be, and the top is a big piece of crap.
Although from what I've seen on some other renders, I believe they should move the tower 180 degrees, because it is much slimmer from the back.

But again, the top is annoying, I can't stand any more of those wind turbines, I like green ecotowers, but there are certain limits. In this case, for a supertall, you can't leave the top open to winds like this with a bad hairdo.
Like I said on SSC, this looks like Trump, trying to cover his head with a mess of hair... instead they should have increased the height by a good 30 meters, made the tower the tallest in France, above the friggin Eiffel fucking tower, and closed it all up with a shiny glass dome, which would make the tower look like some fat bastard sitting on a couch, with his shiny bald head, weird and proud.

I think they should cancel this because it will definitely hurt LD's skyline.
This was the one shot to build something tall and huge and beautiful, instead they come up with this piece of poo, that isn't even tall, if they wanted a real signal, it should rise up above everything else, not be the ugliest thing since Genex

[Alliance]

Some people are being a bit (as in a lot) reactionary. Don't be nimbys. Not every skyscraper has to utilize only straight lines. There is a lot of geometry in this tower.

Props to Paris for building bold.

[Beyond 1000]

Some people are being a bit (as in a lot) reactionary. Don't be nimbys. Not every skyscraper has to utilize only straight lines. There is a lot of geometry in this tower.

Props to Paris for building bold.

If they shoved this KRaP in Chitown you would be bombing the mayor's office.

This building is a Piece of $hit in typical French fashion. On opening day they can play Oxygene by Jean Michael Jarre and really weird out.

Where Hitler failed to destroy Paris, this will complete the task.

[toddguy]

Exactly!
For some reason most people on SSC love this building, I can't understand why, that's why I have to come here where people have better taste.
I am so sick and tired of the organic towers, and all those curves, it's infuriating.
It does wonders for lowrises, but for a wannabe supertall, it looks like this, a pile of poo.
The base is fucked up, it's way too wide where it shouldn't be, and the top is a big piece of crap.
Although from what I've seen on some other renders, I believe they should move the tower 180 degrees, because it is much slimmer from the back.

But again, the top is annoying, I can't stand any more of those wind turbines, I like green ecotowers, but there are certain limits. In this case, for a supertall, you can't leave the top open to winds like this with a bad hairdo.
Like I said on SSC, this looks like Trump, trying to cover his head with a mess of hair... instead they should have increased the height by a good 30 meters, made the tower the tallest in France, above the friggin Eiffel fucking tower, and closed it all up with a shiny glass dome, which would make the tower look like some fat bastard sitting on a couch, with his shiny bald head, weird and proud.

I think they should cancel this because it will definitely hurt LD's skyline.
This was the one shot to build something tall and huge and beautiful, instead they come up with this piece of poo, that isn't even tall, if they wanted a real signal, it should rise up above everything else, not be the ugliest thing since Genex
:haha: LMAO!! I really should not be on here when I have been drinking. lol. Yeah I saw that they seemed to love it at SSC as well(when they were not caught up in the Brits vs The French thing).:D

'Like I said on SSC, this looks like Trump, trying to cover his head with a mess of hair... instead they should have increased the height by a good 30 meters, made the tower the tallest in France, above the friggin Eiffel fucking tower, and closed it all up with a shiny glass dome, which would make the tower look like some fat bastard sitting on a couch, with his shiny bald head, weird and proud.."

hahahaha!!!!

[Minato Ku]

loathesome monstrosity IMHO. The Paris city government has my sympathy.

This building and la Defense are not in Paris (city proper) but in western inner suburbs
La Defense is located in three towns
Puteaux 40 780 inh 3,19 km²
Courbevoie 69 694 inh 4,17 km²
Nanterre 84 281 inh 12,19 km²
in the richest departement in France : Haut de Seine 1 428 881 inh 176 km²
(Departement of Nicolas Sarkozy:haha:)
This tower is actualy in Puteaux.

[pyropius]

There's something light-hearted about the 'hair' that makes this tower endearing. And I personally can't get enough of organic architecture.

[toddguy]

This building and la Defense are not in Paris (city proper) but in western inner suburbs
La Defense is located in three towns
Puteaux 40 780 inh 3,19 km²
Courbevoie 69 694 inh 4,17 km²
Nanterre 84 281 inh 12,19 km²
in the richest departement in France : Haut de Seine 1 428 881 inh 176 km²
(Departement of Nicolas Sarkozy:haha:)
This tower is actualy in Puteaux.

Yes I am aware that it is outside the Paris municipal limits. It was posted that the Paris city government was opposed to it..and I was just basically responding to that since it certainly is close enough(given how la Defense looms just outside the city limits) that it would certainly be visible. Doesn't la Defense cover something like 3 square miles/ten square kilometers?

And whenever I here or see 'Nanterre' I somehow always picture these :( :

http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k40/toddguy/nanterre.jpg

(love Paris btw..truly one of the greatest cities in the world.:) )

[Minato Ku]

La Defense don't cover ten kilometer square
but less than 2 km²

[Tom Servo]

THAT BUILDING IS SICK! I don't get why so many people are not into it... actually it's one of the coolest buildings I've ever seen.

[Stratosphere]

http://s07.picshome.com/d5f/tour-signal.gif

[toddguy]

La Defense don't cover ten kilometer square
but less than 2 km²
Well I had read that 3 square miles were cleared out starting in the 1950's for the la Defense area and that over 25,000 residents were displaced. I guess the source I had was wrong then. Certainly it does not appear that large in any images I have seen of it.

*edit* The French government officially launched its La Défense operation in 1958 by creating a Public Corporation for managing the project, the "Etablissement Public pour l'aménagement de la région de La Défense", or EPAD. 750 hectares of land were allocated from three different neighboring towns - Courbevoie, Puteaux, and Nanterre.
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/zo/?id=100065

^^ well 750 hectares is about 1800 acres...and with 640 acres to a square mile that is nearly 3 square miles is it not??

[cur_sed]

But again, the top is annoying, I can't stand any more of those wind turbines, I like green ecotowers, but there are certain limits. In this case, for a supertall, you can't leave the top open to winds like this with a bad hairdo.
What, you mean you're advocating form over function? The modernists would be ashamed :P
I'm loving the green-ness of the thing. It's certainly different to the other LD skyscrapers, but whaddya expect from the city's new tallest?

[Fabb]

Where Hitler failed to destroy Paris, this will complete the task.

You don't know what you're talking about.
This thing is too low and much too far to have an impact on Paris. I will just be a suburban curiosity.

[Metropolitan]

Well I had read that 3 square miles were cleared out starting in the 1950's for the la Defense area and that over 25,000 residents were displaced. I guess the source I had was wrong then. Certainly it does not appear that large in any images I have seen of it.3 square miles, that's about three times larger than the municipality of Puteaux, where will be located that Thom Mayne's Tower. La Défense is about 0.7 square miles, or 2 km², and that tiny area already hosts about 40 towers above 100m/300ft.


Actually, municipalities in the Paris area are 10 times smaller than the average municipalities in the US. French municipalities nowadays haven't evolved since the royal parishes of the 18th century. That's the main reason why I think it's very sad that when we type "Paris" on SSP diagrams, no building of La Défense appears. Clearly, that French exception when it goes about municipalities isn't something which could be understood internationally. :(

[AJphx]

honestly, the top just freaks me out.

[Metropolitan]

*edit* The French government officially launched its La Défense operation in 1958 by creating a Public Corporation for managing the project, the "Etablissement Public pour l'aménagement de la région de La Défense", or EPAD. 750 hectares of land were allocated from three different neighboring towns - Courbevoie, Puteaux, and Nanterre.
http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/zo/?id=100065

^^ well 750 hectares is about 1800 acres...and with 640 acres to a square mile that is nearly 3 square miles is it not??Emporis is wrong. 750 hectares, or 3 square miles, that's the combined area made by both Puteaux and Courbevoie, the two main areas on which are located La Défense. However, La Défense represents only a part of both municipalities (and also a minor part of Nanterre).

To understand that kind of things, you should understand that French municipalities are the same as the old parishes of the 18th century. It reflects no urban reality at all. Courbevoie and Puteaux are not La Défense, La Défense is located in the middle of both, but don't cover them fully. I'm sorry if that sounds complicate. :(

[Fabb]

I'm afraid that the top is not the worst part of it.

[Metropolitan]

Here is a google map showing where is located La Défense. The district is mainly located on Puteaux and Courbevoie, but also extends to Nanterre. As you can see there are various municipalities which are totally independent from the development of the business district. That's why Emporis and Skyscraperpage, in considering municipalities as the thing determining all, aren't adapted to the Parisian case.

The Société Générale twin towers are themselves located half on Puteaux and half on Nanterre... :rolleyes:

http://grandparis.free.fr/ladefense_satellite.jpg

[toddguy]

Here is a google map showing where is located La Défense. The district is mainly located on Puteaux and Courbevoie, but also extends to Nanterre. As you can see there are various municipalities which are totally independent from the development of the business district. That's why Emporis and Skyscraperpage, in considering municipalities as the thing determining all, aren't adapted to the Parisian case.

The Société Générale twin towers are themselves located half on Puteaux and half on Nanterre... :rolleyes:

http://grandparis.free.fr/ladefense_satellite.jpg
Thanks for the info. That aerial does clear it up. Emporis obviously was talking about the whole area then and not just the part that really is La Defense.

Well anyway I hope this tower design gets tweaked some and turns out to be better than these initial renderings suggest.

[MayDay]

"Some people are being a bit (as in a lot) reactionary. Don't be nimbys. Not every skyscraper has to utilize only straight lines. There is a lot of geometry in this tower."

Someone is full of epiphanies :rolleyes: I'm not sure how I could be NIMBYish about this tower as I live a few thousand miles away from its planned site. And really? Not every tower has to have straight lines? The HELL you say! Next thing you know, you'll be telling me that they've invented electricity!?!

Am I correct in understanding that SSC is down? That would explain a lot of these posts lately.

[Mercutio]

I'm sure the more artistic of you can do a better job but this is my reaction to this design: :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/Fatmonkey/ParisOldMan.jpg

[malec]

All the posts in this thread prove my point I made yesterday, that this is a potentially groundbreaking design.

[graupner]

A nice, slim and tall tower would be 10000x better than this piece of .. shmoo.

Une belle, grande mince serait bien mieux que cette tour qui fait de l'embompoint.

Qui sera le principal locataire/ promoteur de la tour?? ca en fait quand meme de l'espace a louer!!

[yarabundi]

I do like this building !!

[staff]

Most controversial and one of the most intriguing designs I've seen in a long time.
This is how you do it.

I love Paris.

[BANKofMANHATTAN]

I'm sorry, but this is just flippin' rediculous.

Gherkins, Sea Cucumbers, Crumpled Trash, Shtockenblocken Lego Buildings...This stuff just doesn't do it for me. I think it may be better on a smaller scale (lets say museums or something of the sort) instead of using it on monstrous towers.

It looks like an eggplant skin held up by pick-up sticks w/ a stringy toupee. :sly:

^^ Speaking of how to "Do It" - I'd nominate Nashville (Sig Twr) for that.

[Fabb]

^^ Speaking of how to "Do It" - I'd nominate Nashville (Sig Twr) for that.

A retro tower is virtually impossible in Paris. It'll be dull and squat (most of the time), or avant garde, but not retro.

Not tall either, apparently.

[Fabb]

It is a city so protective of its romantic skyline that skyscrapers have been banned in the historic centre for more than 30 years.

But on Monday Paris unveiled plans for a vast glass-enveloped office block that will become its tallest commercial building and loftiest construction since the Eiffel tower was inaugurated in 1889.

The "Phare," or lighthouse, is designed by Californian architect Thom Mayne.

Echoing London's famous "Gherkin," it is a gently sloping eco-friendly glass construction complete with wind-turbines on its roof, that will be the centrepiece of an ambitious overhaul of the La Defense area on the city's western outskirts.

Mayne's design was selected from proposals from10 famous architects including Norman Foster and Rem Koolhaas.

Once described as Paris's "mini-Manhattan," La Defense is one of Europe's biggest purpose-built business districts, built by Franois Mitterrand in 1989 to mark the bicentenary of the revolution.

Other projects built as part of Mitterrand's "Grands Travaux" developments included the Louvre's glass pyramid and the National Library.

But recently, the somewhat bleak La Defense has begun planning a new generation of high-rises to compete with new urban business quarters in Moscow, Madrid and Amsterdam. Around a fifth of the area's buildings are expected to be redeveloped.

The overhaul reflects worries that Paris has been losing business to rival cities including London and Milan and offers a chance to create a tower to match developments like Foster's glass Swiss Re building in the City of London, nicknamed the "Gherkin".

At 300 metres high, the "Phare" will be the first building to approach Gustav Eiffel's tower, which was originally 300 metres tall, but now soars a further 24 metres with its aerial.

A human element

"It's about an icon, and one of the major buildings in Paris," Mayne told reporters.

"There's a fluidity, a sensuousness, a softness to the form as it reaches to the sky," he said, adding he wanted the building to have a human element and describing its asymmetric twist which swells out over an elevated lobby in the lower portion before tapering off to a thicket of wind turbines.

Mayne said he wanted the Phare to be "a prototype for a green building," with the wind farm generating energy for the tower's heating and cooling for five months of the year and a movable "double skin" cutting the heat from direct sunlight through the windows.

At a cost of 900 million euros (US$1.2 billion), the building, which will offer 130,000 square metres of office space, is due to be completed in 2012.

Builder Unibail's Chief Executive Guillaume Poitrinal said the project showed private sector developers were just as capable as the public sector of creating landmark buildings, even if the Phare is dwarfed in height by mega developments in Asia.

"It's a real symbol of modernity but it's not a record tower, we're not trying to go to 800 metres. The idea is to have something which is modern and iconic rather than just high," he said.

But just as the Eiffel tower was initially described by the author Guy de Maupassant as "an odious tower of extreme bad taste", the French capital is braced for a backlash.

The newspaper Le Monde warned yesterday that a "hatred for concrete" and fear of high buildings was still common among Parisians traumatised by the 210 metre-tall 1970s monstrosity, Tour Montparnasse.

Source: China Daily

[LT4f]

"
Once described as Paris's "mini-Manhattan," La Defense is one of Europe's biggest purpose-built business districts, built by Franois Mitterrand in 1989 to mark the bicentenary of the revolution.
"
:haha: they got their facts messed up

Ever since a kid I have always loved the tour montparnasse, and many more people like it than people think. Of course, there are plenty of retired people just waiting to move down to the cote d'azur, who skew the polls, otherwise, TM, as long as it is cleaned up, is great.

[Patrick]

Eww.

First the big "ding-dong" 30 St Mary Axe in London
Then the hidious deformed skinny Chicago Spire
And now, umm, this! I really cant describe this hidious building.

Seriosuly, it looks like the top collapsed off and the building just melted itself. Imagine two arms and a face and you'll see a guy with spikey hair and a huge ass!

I love the La Defence Skyline, so sleek and modern. So far the new towers are a great addition to the skyline, until this one.

Hopefully there is a redesign. Why not a nice postmodern tower?

[NYC2ATX]

Eww.

First the big "ding-dong" 30 St Mary Axe in London
Then the hidious deformed skinny Chicago Spire
And now, umm, this! I really cant describe this hidious building.

Seriosuly, it looks like the top collapsed off and the building just melted itself. Imagine two arms and a face and you'll see a guy with spikey hair and a huge ass!

I love the La Defence Skyline, so sleek and modern. So far the new towers are a great addition to the skyline, until this one.

Hopefully there is a redesign. Why not a nice postmodern tower?

well postmodern is falling out of fashion, the 21st century most groundbreaking buildings include the 3 you listed above.

Tell me, what types of skyscrapers do you favor, and what you want to see in the La Défense skyline? :sly:

[Stratosphere]

Eww.

First the big "ding-dong" 30 St Mary Axe in London
Then the hidious deformed skinny Chicago Spire
And now, umm, this! I really cant describe this hidious building.

Leave the first two buildings out of this.http://forums.thuyngaonline.com/upfiles/smiley/brutal_33.gif They are design masterpieces.

[Patrick]

well postmodern is falling out of fashion, the 21st century most groundbreaking buildings include the 3 you listed above.

Tell me, what types of skyscrapers do you favor, and what you want to see in the La Défense skyline? :sly:

I like all types, except this whole new "natural" style. Some new buildings look cool like some of Frank Ghery's towers in NYC or the amazing Turning Turso. But some take it too far, like this one.

I'd love to see this tower resdigned into buildings like the New WTC or the Shanghi Financial Center. Paris already has some good towers in the works like the Generali Tower or even better, the Tour AXA redesign.

[Hoodrat]

I'm sorry, but this is just flippin' rediculous.

Gherkins, Sea Cucumbers, Crumpled Trash, Shtockenblocken Lego Buildings...This stuff just doesn't do it for me. I think it may be better on a smaller scale (lets say museums or something of the sort) instead of using it on monstrous towers.

It looks like an eggplant skin held up by pick-up sticks w/ a stringy toupee. :sly:

^^ Speaking of how to "Do It" - I'd nominate Nashville (Sig Twr) for that.

Signature is cool looking...I'll give you that, but that po-mo art deco look was big about 20 years ago. I just can't see Paris clamoring for something that looks like it was designed for a big southern city in 1988.

I think this will be a classic.

[giovanni sasso]

this thread is awesome.

the building, not so much, but the discussion (and photoshops) it's created, yes.

[Lecom]

Is it just me or is there a rule that La Defense must get at least one weird skyscraper proposal per year?

[Diddle E Squat]

The Tampon That Ate Paris!


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/Fatmonkey/ParisOldMan.jpg[/QUOTE]

[WonderlandPark]

If this tower is going to be leased by, say, a biotech or pharma company, than this is a great design!

http://www.ou.edu/class/pheidole/General%20Bacteria.jpg

http://www.sevensheaven.nl/images/producten/character-design-ontwerp_yakult_02.jpg

http://www.geo.arizona.edu/Antevs/nats104/giardia.gif

[Alliance]

If they shoved this KRaP in Chitown you would be bombing the mayor's office.

This building is a Piece of $hit in typical French fashion. On opening day they can play Oxygene by Jean Michael Jarre and really weird out.

Where Hitler failed to destroy Paris, this will complete the task.

You certainly know everything about me, back off.

I'd be fine if this building was built in Chicago. I think it has some real strong points. I've already voiced my criticism.

[Stratosphere]

The Burj Dubai only costs $876 million to build. This building will cost $1.08 billion. Why?

[SD_Phil]

^Labor cost

I like it. I don't think this is anywhere near "too far" in terms of organic design. Maybe in 15 years people will take it too far and some crazy gravity defying designs will take over, who knows.

I like the proportions, I even like the decorative spires on top. This will be one fine looking structure when built (so long as the glass isn't totally opaque). I think its playfully reminiscent of the Eiffel Tower's design in terms of the exposed structural supports and yet modern.

[Stratosphere]

But the Burj Dubai is more than twice taller, so it uses more materials and labor. That would offset the lower labor cost in Dubai. But still the Burj Dubai is cheaper to build?

[SD_Phil]

yep. labor costs tell almost the entire story. if the burj dubai was built in france or anywhere in the west it would cost much much more to build (so much more that it wouldn't be feasible is my guess).

anyway, back to the topic of this building.

<--- Still diggin' it.

[plinko]

I think there are some really interesting geometries to this tower that aren't quite apparent from the renderings posted so far in the thread... Anybody notice the little piece that cantilevers out of the backside in this view? Is there a rendering of the other side? I'm curious if it's a counterpoint (albeit upsidedown) to the more rectilinear prism that forms one of the feet (on the right hand side of this rendering). Right now, that's what the failure in the base is for me is that 'foot'. If indeed there's some other piece on the other side to balance it out, I'd love to see it.

Aside from that little issue, the base has some real elegance and nice lines to it. It's not human scale, but then again, what 300m buildings are at the street?

I'm not entirely sold on the top like most...but the idea of the wind turbines is one that keeps getting proposed time and time again, and eventually somebody might actually get one built with them. I'm curious and excited to see how it comes off. Mayne probably envisions them as thin reeds fading into the sky...when in reality they could be quite clunky... Like I said...I'm curious...

I do hope this tower gets built. It proposes a number of building functionality questions and in terms of form is decidedly more interesting and unique than a tall box (READ: NY Times Tower).

http://grandparis.free.fr/tour-signal.gif

[Beyond 1000]

Some people are being a bit (as in a lot) reactionary. Don't be nimbys. Not every skyscraper has to utilize only straight lines. There is a lot of geometry in this tower.

Props to Paris for building bold.


Don't know much about you Alliance but I still think blob is awful. Look at the rest of the comments on this thread.

They should build this and Greenbird to go along with it.

[EyOne]

The other face (cladding will not be white):

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/1087/morphosispharetower10wq3.jpg

I'm not fan...but wait and see

[wjfox2004]

It looks.............. mutilated.

[NYC2ATX]

I like all types, except this whole new "natural" style. Some new buildings look cool like some of Frank Ghery's towers in NYC or the amazing Turning Turso. But some take it too far, like this one.

I'd love to see this tower resdigned into buildings like the New WTC or the Shanghi Financial Center. Paris already has some good towers in the works like the Generali Tower or even better, the Tour AXA redesign.

Well yes I can understand your reservations, this is a little out there, but it is an amazing display of technology. 15 years ago this would have been a fantasy building, and Paris does have Tour Generali, and the AXA redesign coming, like you said. So don't worry, this is only one building. It'd take alot more to destroy the Paris skyline. :tup:

[Metropolitan]

The Burj Dubai only costs $876 million to build. This building will cost $1.08 billion. Why?^Labor costNo, this is not only about labor cost. When the architecture contest has been launched for this tower, the budget restriction was of €400 million ($500 million). Thom Mayne has doubled the required budget and the Unibail company, the promoter, has just fallen in love with the design. Actually, this tower is a real technological challenge, and it will be build with materials of rare quality. Furthermore, this is an eco-tower, with wind turbines and double skins to limit power wastes. It makes a higher initial cost, but less spendings in the long run (or at least, that's how it's sold).

Frankly, some can dislike the design, but that tower is clearly the Ferrari of supertalls when it goes about quality of construction.


Personally, I really like the design, because outside its originality, it remains very elegant and well-proportionated. I would just like to congratulation the American company Morphosis for having been able to imagine such a building. Americans, you could be proud of Thom Mayne.

[BINARY SYSTEM]

http://www.iwebphoto.com/Clients/jbloun1/Album1/Page_1.jpg
:crazy2: OPPS!!!... MORE ORGANIC SH*T FROM THOM MAYNE.

[malec]

But the Burj Dubai is more than twice taller, so it uses more materials and labor. That would offset the lower labor cost in Dubai. But still the Burj Dubai is cheaper to build?
Nope, that figure (less than one billion) is only for the structure so doesn't include glass, interior work, etc. With that it should be 2 billion

[buildup]

I looks like there was an explosion inside the tower! Hopefully they will clean up this design before they actually build it.

[Antares41]

Many of the comments in this thread are simply hilarious:haha: , But, I guess I give it a:tup: . I like unique! Buildings that push the envelope need to built an seen somewhere! Why not Paris? That it is so polarizing (as was the Eiffel Tower when it was built) says something about it ability to evoke and emotional response ,pro or con, which IMO is essential for a notable piece of architecture. Look forward to seeing it built.:banana: