Architect Jean Nouvel to build new Paris skyscraper
5 hours ago
PARIS (AFP) — French star architect Jean Nouvel was chosen Tuesday over four world-class rivals to build a landmark new skyscraper on the edge of Paris, set to rival the Eiffel Tower for domination of the city skyline.
Set for completion by 2015, the new tower to be built in the La Defense district is part of an ambitious plan to renovate the 50-year-old business hub on the city's western rim.
Winner of this year's Pritzker Architecture Prize, the industry's top award, Nouvel was selected for the "Signal Tower" project by a panel of local and state officials and architects which made the announcement Tuesday.
Nouvel faced stiff competition from a line-up of bidders including British designer Norman Foster and the American Daniel Libeskind -- chosen to rebuild Ground Zero, the site of the September 11 attacks -- as well as his compatriots Jean-Michel Wilmotte and Jacques Ferrier.
Soaring 301 metres (990 feet) high, just short of the Eiffel Tower which rises 324 metres over the city, Nouvel's tower aims to provide a hub for local life, in a district often criticised as cold and faceless.
Set in parkland, the rectangular white tower will mix offices, flats, hotel rooms, shops, restaurants and public facilities, to be built in partnership with the investment groups Medea et Layetana.
Europe's largest business district, La Defense is used by 400,000 people each day, is home to 2,500 company headquarters as well as 20,000 residents.
The "Signal Tower" is the second major skyscraper project to be launched in La Defense since 2006, when US architect Thom Mayne won a contract to build a soaring structure called "Le Phare" (The Lighthouse), due for delivery in 2012.
Strict building regulations have until now kept most high-rises firmly outside the Paris city walls -- with a few notable exceptions such as the Tour Montparnasse which rises 180 metres over the southwest of the capital.
But Paris's Socialist mayor Bertrand Delanoe has sparked controversy by suggesting a handful of skyscrapers could be built just inside the city walls, to revitalise run-down parts of the capital.
Prev
UNREAL!!!! 
Linear Mode
