herzog & de meuron's triangle tower may still rise above paris

herzog & de meuron’s triangle tower may still rise above paris
image © herzog & de meuron
all images courtesy of tour triangle

despite being rejected by paris’ city council earlier this week, herzog & de meuron‘s 180 meter-tall triangle tower could still be built, after mayor anne hidalgo declared the original vote invalid. a petition in support of the project has also been made available online, backed by renowned names such as renzo piano and dominique perrault.

image © herzog & de meuron

the last skyscraper to be built in the french capital was the 59-storey montparnasse tower in 1973. the structure remains today an alien addition to the city’s relatively horizontal landscape. the unloved edifice has consequently made parisians wary of the threat that such high-rises pose in permanently damaging the look and feel of the existing metropolis.

image © herzog & de meuron

the ballot came close to extinguishing the building’s hopes of realization, marginally losing out with 78 votes to 83. however, according to the new york times, as the vote came to an end, the winners made the mistake of brandishing their ‘no’ ballots, making public what was supposed to be a private poll — and giving mayor hidalgo an opening to bring the matter to court.

image © herzog & de meuron

image © herzog & de meuron

image © herzog & de meuron

image © herzog & de meuron

image © herzog & de meuron