A new video by Forum contributor Vincent ! highlights a complex construction site in La Défense that will soon give way to a 39-storey office tower. Simply named Tour Saint-Gobain after its primary tenant, a multinational fabricator of textiles and construction materials, the 178-metre skyscraper is a result of a partnership between Italian insurance company Generali Group and global property developer Hines. 

Tour Saint-Gobain, image via Valode & Pistre Architects

Designed by Valode & Pistre Architects, who adhered to Saint-Gobain's desire for a show-stopping symbol of their brand, the development will boast 48,600 square metres of contemporary office space. Beyond the building's office component, nearly 400 square metres of space will be set aside for retail programs. Meanwhile, the boxy crown of the building will feature a more transparent glazed envelope, to ensure two-way views in and out of an expansive rooftop garden. This highly visible amenity will cap off a series of green spaces snaking their way up the tower.

Looking down into the construction site, image by Forum contributor Vincent !

The project necessitated the demolition of a pre-existing eight-storey office block, Tour Iris. Most of the building has been deconstructed, while work on the foundations of the tower have continued to move forward. The video below shows crews navigating the cages of rebar that support the below-grade levels of the new building, which is scheduled for completion in 2019.

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