In fact, the glass Toblerone, as the Tour Triangle has been dubbed by skeptics, should have been well on its way up. The tower, the tallest building in the city after the Eiffel Tower and the Tour Montparnasse, was designed in 2006 by the Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron, construction was scheduled to start in 2009.
High-rise buildings have traditionally been the subject of heated debate in Paris, as they touch on the character of the city. For example, construction has been delayed for twelve years. The project developer Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield recently announced that construction is now really starting, thanks to a new financing deal – the behemoth will cost 670 million euros.
Narrow tower or triangle
With its 42 floors and a height of 180 meters, the Tour Triangle will be the tallest skyscraper that has risen on the Paris skyline since 1973. The building is intended to accommodate workplaces, shops, restaurants, a cultural center and a four-star hotel.
The building looks like a pyramid with two narrow and two wide sides. Viewed from the center, the building looks like a narrow tower, from the east or west the entire triangle is visible. For example, it will cast limited shade on the surrounding area.
However, there is still a chance that opponents will still be able to suspend construction. Philippe Goujon, mayor of the 15th arrondissement where the Tour Triangle is to be built, did not mince words in a conversation with the Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo. City councilors then filed a request to stop the project.
Goujon believes that the arguments that justified the construction years ago are now obsolete. The need for new office space has diminished since the pandemic, and the building, he says, is “a giant heat island”, not in line with sustainability plans. In addition, it was announced this autumn that an investigation into favoritism regarding the exploitation permit for the site has started.
Character of Paris
Below that simmers a deeper division about the character of the city. For proponents of the skyscraper, Paris is too much of a ‘museum city’; high-rise buildings are part and parcel of a modern city. Opponents fear that Paris is losing its typical charm. Like the stately buildings with wrought-iron balconies and stone facades, restrictions on high-rise buildings were part of the distinctive building rules of Baron Haussmann, who in the 19th century gave the city the character for which it is loved worldwide.
For decades, these height rules were hardly tampered with. The exception was the Tour Montparnasse, which was built in 1973 – and which many Parisians still find to be a monstrosity. After fierce protest from Parisians, regulations were reintroduced a few years later to limit high-rise buildings. Nevertheless, relaxation followed again from 2008, and so the arrival of the glass Toblerone was – in theory – possible.
It seems unlikely that construction will actually be stopped; the city council gave the green light for the Tour Triangle in 2015 and the building permit was granted in 2017. In the meantime, the municipality is considering the urban plan for Paris, which, among other things, determines the building materials and heights, and is due for revision after fifteen years. Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire, in charge of urban planning, has already said that there is “no talk of encouraging more height in Paris”.
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