Now, the winners have now been announced and the French practice, nouvelle AOM, to give Tour Montparnasse a new identity. The architectural competition, opening a fresh new chapter in the history of the tower. Nouvelle Agence pour l’Opération Maine-Montparnassen (nouvelle AOM) is a consortium of three Paris-based firms that brings together a young generation of architects all born in the 1970s: Franklin Azzi, Fréderic Chartier, Pascale Dalix, Mathurin Hardel and Cyrille Le bihan – all renowned for outstanding design projects.
Not many buildings in Paris are as controversial as the 58-story, 1970s Tour Montparnasse — seen by many residents and visitors as an out-of-place skyscraper and a stain on the city's urban panorama. Attempting to give the tower a fresh look, was launched this international architectural competition in 2016.
"When we took up the challenge of this exciting compettion, our focus was on revealing the beauty of the Tour Montparnasse from the inside out. We achieved this by incoroporating radically new uses and crafting a complete sustainable "green" makeover of the façade. The aim is to make the Tower an icon of the 21 st century energy revolution," says the consortium.
"This was a huge challenge, as the Tower isn't like any other," explained the co-owners who sat on the selection panel. "Nouvelle AOM's project perfectly acptures 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 neighbourhood."
The announcement of the competition winner marks the opening of an exhibition at the Pavillon de l’Arsenal, 21 boulevard Morlan, 75004 Paris – 20 September to 22 October 2017.
