Pyramidal Project Moves Forward in Paris

Tour Triangle will be built in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. Image credit: Alexander Kagan on Unsplash

16 November 2021 | Paris, France

The Tour Triangle project is set to move forward and begin the initial site work before the year ends.

The project was originally proposed in 2008, but was delayed when two appeals were filed to challenge the lawfulness of the building permit that was submitted in 2015. However, in 2019, the administrative court upheld the lawfulness of the building permit and rejected the two appeals. Now with insurance company AxA backing the project financially, the developers Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield plan to move the project forward.

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The project’s form takes on a pyramidal shape with a trapezoidal base. It has 42 stories and will stand 180 meters (591 feet) tall. The project includes offices, a hotel, a conference center, and a cultural center along with childcare and health/wellness facilities. While it was originally scheduled to complete ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics that will be hosted in Paris, because of the delays, it is now set to complete in 2026.

Many are in favor of the project, highlighting that the construction will bring more than 5,000 jobs to the city. Others believe the project is out of scale with the city and relate its form to a piece of Toblerone chocolate or a wedge of cheese. Despite the project targeting both HQE Exceptional and BREEAM minimum Excellent certifications while remaining on trajectory with the Paris Agreement objectives, some argue that the project will use more concrete and steel than a typical Parisian building and that the form of the building will significantly increase energy consumption.

For more on this story, go to The Architect’s Newspaper.