nouvelle AOM chosen to overhaul paris' tour montparnasse

nouvelle AOM, a consortium of three french firms, has been chosen to redesign paris’ montparnasse tower — holding off competition from OMA, MAD architects, and studio gang, among others. ‘when we took up the challenge of this exciting competition, our focus was on revealing the beauty of the tour montparnasse from the inside out,’ explains the winning team. ‘we achieved this by incorporating radically new uses and crafting a complete sustainable ‘green’ makeover of the façade. the aim is to make the tower an icon of the 21st century energy revolution.’

the redesign seeks to emphasize a sense of horizontality
image courtesy of nouvelle AOM / RSI studio / IDA+

completed in 1973, the 59-storey structure was the last skyscraper to be built in paris. today, the tower remains an alien addition to the city’s relatively horizontal landscape. for decades, the unloved edifice has made parisians wary of the threat that such high-rises pose in permanently damaging the look and feel of the existing metropolis. launched in june 2016, the competition challenged bidders to create a powerful, dynamic and bold new identity for the tour montparnasse, while fully addressing all the challenges of the modern world regarding user accessibility, comfort and energy performance.

the skyscraper will offer a much greater sense of transparency
image courtesy of nouvelle AOM / luxigon (also main image)

nouvelle AOM, (nouvelle agence pour l’opération maine-montparnasse) brings together a young generation of architects all born in the 1970s: franklin azzi, fréderic chartier, pascale dalix, mathurin hardel, and cyrille le bihan. the firm’s redesign seeks to ’emphasize the horizontal plane’, while making a marked shift from opacity to transparency. it is also hoped that new programming will transform the building into an active destination for the people of paris.

new programming will attempt to transform the building into a destination for the people of paris
image courtesy of nouvelle AOM / luxigon

‘this was a huge challenge, as the tower isn’t like any other,’ says the building’s co-owners, who sat on the selection panel. ‘nouvelle AOM’s project perfectly captures the spirit of the 21st century, giving the tower a multifaceted identity revolving around attractive, innovative new uses. the tower will breathe new life into the montparnasse neighborhood.’ the €300 million renovation, financed entirely by the tower’s co-owners, is set to complete in time for the paris olympic games in 2024.

the project is set to complete in time for the paris olympic games in 2024
image courtesy of nouvelle AOM / luxigon