Due to Good Friday festivities, our office is closed and our publishing will be limited today. To hold you over until we return on Monday, we have another edition of our weekly Flash Forward Friday.

We all know that buildings don't always turn out like the renderings. Last-minute changes and real-life materials can all cause discrepancies between the vision and reality of a project. In our weekly Flash Forward Friday feature, we take a look at how different projects stack up.

Built as the first residential highrise project to grace Paris' La Defense business district in 30 years, Nexity Residential's Louis Paillard Architectes-designed Skylight is now nearing completion. The 18-storey mixed-use residential structure is a breath of fresh air in what has long been recognized as the city's most architecturally eclectic, modernist neighbourhood.

Skylight, as originally proposed, image via Louis Paillard Architectes

Originally designed with what appeared to be a distinctive metallic exterior finish, the structure today sports a decidedly muted look. Its metallic aspirations have been dulled to a matte white, and its cladding, while still aesthetically pleasing, is not quite as bold as what could have been. 

Skylight, as it appears today, image by Forum contributor Vincent !

A fine addition to La Defense nonetheless, Skylight will serve its purpose well. Featuring 113 private residences paired with 168 student residences, it will inject a good deal of urban vibrancy into the otherwise office-heavy area. 

We will return next Friday with another comparison!