Paris Triangle skyscraper reaches new height

The Tour Triangle, a trapezoidal skyscraper in Paris designed by Swiss studio Herzog & de Meuron, has topped out at 180 metres. At 42 storeys, it’s now the third-tallest building within the Paris city limits, behind only Tour Montparnasse and the Eiffel Tower.

The building will retain this title indefinitely due to a skyscraper ban in the city, which was reinstated in 2023 by mayor Anne Hidalgo.

Herzog & de Meuron announced the milestone on its Instagram, stating the building will be “a destination for everyone”.

“The building has reached its full height, and its silhouette now takes its place in the skyline of Paris – a new presence among the city’s axes and monuments,” said the studio.

The trapezoidal shape of the Tour Triangle was designed to resemble a thin tower when viewed from central Paris, but a large triangle when seen from the east and west, where its full width is visible.

It is also intended to maximise viewing angles for those inside while reducing the scale of the shadow that is cast on neighbouring buildings.

Inside, it will contain a hotel and offices, as well as shops, restaurants and a conference centre. Photovoltaic panels will be installed over its entire south-facing side.

Tour Triangle’s Controversial History

The milestone follows years of delays on the project, which Herzog & de Meuron began in 2006.

Due to tall buildings being highly controversial in Paris, the studio has had to navigate backlash and numerous legal and planning battles. Construction ultimately commenced in 2022.

Alongside the 180– and 125-metre-high Tours Duo skyscrapers by Jean Nouvel, the contentious project is partly responsible for the city reinstating its height limit.

Paris’s original height limit of 37 metres was in place from 1977 until 2010, when it was overturned by former mayor Bertrand Delanoë for a limit of 180 metres for office towers and 50 metres for housing blocks.

Hidalgo also reintroduced it as part of a wider “bioclimatic” plan for the city that she said aims to ensure Paris remains “attractive and pleasant in coming years despite the acceleration in the temperature”. They implemented this plan to address concerns about the city’s environmental sustainability.

The city’s design scene has been shaped by such projects, and the Tour Triangle is a notable example of this trend.

Meanwhile, staff members of the Musée du Louvre in Paris recently went on strike, demanding that plans to add a new entrance to the museum be scrapped.

Jean Nouvel completed his overhaul of a 19th-century department store to create the new home for Fondation Cartier.