Description
Tour Maine-Montparnasse, also commonly named Tour Montparnasse, is a 210m office skyscraper located in the Montparnasse area of Paris, France. Constructed from 1969 to 1973, it was the tallest skyscraper in France until 2011, when it was surpassed by the 231m Tour First., it is the 14th tallest building in the European Union. The tower was designed by architects Eugène Beaudouin, Urbain Cassan, and Louis Hoym de Marien and built by Campenon Bernard. On September 19, 2017, Studio Gang Architects unveiled a redesigned tower with a new faceted glass facade.LocationBuilt on top of the Montparnasse – Bienvenüe Paris Métro station, the 59 floors of the tower are mainly occupied by offices. The 56th floor, with a restaurant called le Ciel de Paris, and the terrace on the top floor, are open to the public for viewing the city. The view covers a radius of 40km; aircraft can be seen taking off from Orly Airport. The guard rail, to which various antennae are attached, can be pneumatically lowered.CriticismThe tower's simple architecture, large proportions and monolithic appearance have been often criticised for being out of place in Paris's urban landscape. As a result, two years after its completion the construction of buildings over seven stories high in the city centre was banned.
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