3.1K 
With a population of 11.9 million, the Greater Paris Area is the most populated urban centre in Europe. As the agglomeration keeps growing at a rate of 100,000 new residents per year, innovative solutions are necessary to accommodate the demand for additional housing and office spaces. After the Municipality of Paris lifted the historic 37-metre height restrictions last year, several highrise projects were approved for construction along the city limits — not without resistance from locals — thus preserving the iconic Haussmannian urban fabric.
In the highrise business district of La Defense, Russian development company Hermitage intends to build a pair a mixed-use skyscrapers that will become the tallest in Western Europe once complete. Designed by Foster + Partners, Hermitage Plaza will consist of two 320-metre towers offering a mix of offices, residences and serviced apartments, a hotel, a spa, an art gallery, and retail units at their base. Groundbreaking in terms of scale, scope, and design, the development will remain shorter than France's world-famous monument, the 324-metre Eiffel Tower, which has dominated Paris since 1889.
The diamond-shaped towers will face each other at ground level before operating a twist as they reach their final height, allowing for the largest facades of both buildings to face downtown Paris and the river Seine. The landscaped pedestrian plaza at their base will include ample green spaces and, more importantly, an expansive flight of stairs sloping towards the river and decking over the the busy riverside roadway. This will not only create extended public spaces, it will also allow the neighbourhood to connect directly to the iconic river for the first time in its history.
The construction of the 350,000-square-metre complex, whose construction cost is estimated at €2.9 billion, will necessitate the destruction of several brutalist residential buildings. Although demolition permits were already issued, eviction of residents living in the 250 concerned units took more time than originally expected after locals launched a series of appeals against the project. No dates regarding the beginning of construction or the delivery of the towers have been communicated yet, but the developer expects the construction process to last approximately 4.5 years while creating more than 5,000 jobs.
Recently, Bouygues Bâtiment, the main contractor for the 85- and 86-storey structures, started an official review for the realization of a temporary port on the river to be used for loading and unloading construction materials, meaning that the project is still making its way through the lengthy administrative process. In the meantime, additional images and information can be found in the Database file linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion or share your photos? Check out the associated Forum thread or leave a comment at the bottom of this page.
