Mirage Montparnasse Tower Renovation Paris, Architect, French Skyscraper Building, Architecture

Mirage – Montparnasse Tower Renovation

New Skyscraper Building Paris, France design by various MAD Architects with DGLa

Montparnasse Tower Building Renewal

Location: Paris XVe

Design: MAD Architects / Executive Architect: DGLa

MAD reveals ‘Mirage’ ─ a design proposal for the Renovation of Paris’ Montparnasse Tower

21 Sep 2017

Mirage – Montparnasse Tower Renovation in Paris

MAD Architects, led by Ma Yansong, unveils “Mirage” ─ a renovation proposal for Montparnasse Tower in Paris, France. MAD’s design transforms this huge black monolithic building ─ positioned in the city center ─ into an artistic lighting installation that reflects the city upside down.

After its completion in 1973, the 210 meter-high Montparnasse Tower became the tallest building in Paris. But through the years, there has been constant criticism over its intrusive existence in the city, that it has been coined the ‘scar of Paris’. In 2016, the owner called an international competition to renovate the tower, and MAD was one of seven short-listed firms out of more than 700 teams to participate.

MAD’s design uses concave principles to create an optical illusion by setting every glass panel of the façade to a specific angle, so that the building itself turns into a city-scale concave mirror. The streets and rooftops of the neighboring buildings appear as if they are hanging in the sky; while the sky is mirrored onto the lower section of the building, blending into the atmosphere. The design creates a mirage of Paris, but upside-down, as if it is floating in the air. And, Paris’ other city landmark, the Eiffel Tower, will also appear upside down when looking at Montparnasse Tower from that direction.

Ma Yansong on the design: “At the time when it was built, Montparnasse Tower, like the Eiffel Tower, represented the pride and achievements of its era. It is mankind’s worship of technology and power that has created this tyrannical monument. It stands out amidst classical Paris. Today, we cannot really demolish this building and the historical regrets it stands for, but we can establish a new perspective to re-examine and think about how humanity can co-exist and interact with the tower and its environment, to bring meaning to our hearts.”

MAD’s “Mirage design proposal is currently on show in the Tour Montparnasse Exhibition at Pavilion de l’Arsenal, Paris.

“Mirage”
Paris, France
2016 – 2017

Directors in Charge: Ma Yansong, Qun Dang, Yosuke Hayano
Associates in Charge: Kin Li, Andrea D’Antrassi
Design Team: LI Guangchong, Jordan Kanter, Jacob Hu, Marco Gastoldi, Matthew Pugh, Felix Amiss, YAN Ran, Casey Kell, BEN Yuqiang, ZHAO Meng, Rozita Kahirtseva, Torsten Radunski, Young Kang, LI Liang

Lead Architect: MAD Architects
Executive Architect: DGLa
Structural Engineers: TERRELL
MEP Engineers: NOX ingénierie
Façade Consultant: VS-A
Façade – Reflection Consultant: ELXIR / PHILPPE BOMPAS

Fire Prevention: CSD FACES
Acoustic Consultant: ACOUSTIQUE ET CONSEIL
Lighting Consultant: L’observatoire international / Hervé Descottes
Environmental Consultant: NOX Oxygène
Asbestos Reclamation: NOX CURAGE DESAMIANTAGE DEMOLITION
Lift Consultants: MOVVEO

Amour des Tours – MAD Architects produced by MIR from MAD architects on Vimeo.
Amour des Tours, Demain Montparnasse
Produced by MIR

Mirage Montparnasse Tower Renewal Paris images / information from MAD Architects

MAD Architects / DGLa

3 Dec 2018
Tour Montparnasse, Paris, France by Studio Gang

image : Studio Gang

4 Mar 2010

Tour Montparnasse Paris

Montparnasse Tower
Location: Paris XVe
Date: 1973
Designers: Beaudoin, Cassan, De Marien, Saubot;
A. Epstein & Sons International, Inc., Architects

210m high, public viewing from 59th floor.

The Montparnasse Tower is the tallest building in France

It was the tallest building in Europe until the completion of Frankfurt´s MesseTurm in 1990 (MesseTurm, by Murphy/Jahn Architects in 1990, tallest building Europe at 257m high until 1997.

Murphy/Jahn designed the Trump Tower, completed 2005, 180m high in Stuttgart and the City Spire Center in Manhattan, a 248m high skyscraper).

Tour Montparnasse Competition in Paris

Tour Montparnasse Competition

image : Wikimedia Commons
Tour Montparnasse Competition in Paris
An international architecture competition in 2015 to find a new look for the 59-storey tower block as well as the shopping precinct at its base.