Tour Triangle Moves Forward Amidst Controversy

Initial work on Herzog & de Meuron’s Tour Triangle in Paris is set to begin by the end of this year, The Architect’s Newspaper reported in November. The tower has been met with backlash and a series of legal challenges since first being proposed in 2008. In 2019, an administrative court rejected two appeals filed against the project, and the tower has recently gotten funding from insurance firm AXA. Criticism of the project comes in many forms. Despite being only 591 ft tall, the tower is significantly taller than many others in Paris, and, when completed, would be the third tallest tower in the city. Some feel as though the trapezoid design is unsightly and others are concerned about the environmental effects of the tower, which has divided the city’s government. Developers have stated that the tower will target HQE and BREEAM certifications. Philippe Goujon, major of the 15th arrondissement (district) of Paris, has said the arguments presented in 2008 for the tower’s construction are obsolete. The Tour Triangle is set to include offices, a luxury hotel, retail space and a conference center. Goujon said the development “no longer meets the needs of companies that the COVID-19 crisis and the development of teleworking are leading [them] to rethink.”