Plans Revealed to Retrofit a 1960s High-rise in Monaco

Monaco. Photo by Viktor Hesse on Unsplash

26 January 2024 | Monaco, Monaco

A 78-meter tall modernist high-rise from the 1960s is set to be renovated by Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA). Set in the Monte Carlo area, Le Schuylkill tower will overhaul the residential block to improve function and sustainability.

According to the design team, a 2019 feasibility study "demonstrated that renovating the existing building was preferable from both a financial and environmental stance." This study helped determine the benefits of the other options of demolishing and building a new building.

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Le Schuylkill Renovation

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The design will retain the block’s concrete structure, with materials such as aluminium profiles removed for off-site recycling, reuse and repurposing. The project is set to be the first in the Monte Carlo neighbourhood to tap into Monaco’s seawater heat pump loop infrastructure and expected to generate 70 percent of the energy the building needs for heating, cooling, and hot water.

A new facade will improve thermal insulation, airtightness, waterproofing and solar protection. New acoustic measures will also be introduced to replace the sand which currently sits within the concrete floors.

Work is said to start in February 2024, and will be completed by 2028.

Learn more about this story at the Architect's Journal