The long-awaited renovation of the Tour Montparnasse, often called Paris's ugliest building, has been halted after its private co-owners voted against the project.
The tower, which opened in 1973, is the tallest skyscraper in inner-city Paris. It has been emptied and closed for renovation.
Co-owners vote against renovation
More than three-quarters of the building's co-owners, which include French investment funds and insurers, voted against the first phase of renovation this week. The vote followed clashes over plans and pricing.
The estimated price of the project had more than doubled to €800m (£688m), partly due to a significant asbestos removal operation.
Plans for the tower
Architects had planned to entirely refit the 210-metre structure with a new glass exterior, adding vegetation throughout, with a garden terrace on the 16th floor and an agricultural greenhouse at the top. The plans included a hotel on three floors of the 59-storey building, as well as new office and leisure spaces.
The vote was the last opportunity to launch the project before the building permit for the renovation expires at the end of November.
Concerns over the building's future
There are now concerns that the emptied building will remain deserted. This summer, fire officers intervened after bits of glass fell from the building onto the street below, although no one was hurt.
Philippe Goujon, the rightwing mayor of Paris's 15th district where the tower is located, said: “Everyone needs to come to their senses.” He told Agence France-Presse: “I cannot accept seeing a project that took 10 years to develop thrown away, or allowing this world-renowned landmark to fall into neglect.”
Four of the co-owners who still want a renovation, including the tycoon Xavier Niel, said in a joint statement: “We would like all the co-owners, financial partners and public authorities to meet soon to examine all the solutions to transform the Montparnasse Tower.”
Some co-owners hope that a new, scaled-down project could be agreed upon.
Separate projects and alternatives
Separately, the architect Renzo Piano has been tasked with overhauling the shopping centre beneath the tower and other buildings nearby, opening up new pedestrian spaces and moving from grey concrete to a greener, planted space. Local officials want to avoid delays to that project if the tower's renovation stalls.
The office of the Socialist mayor of Paris, Emmanuel Grégoire, said it wanted “an alternative solution to be proposed” so the site does not stay at a standstill.
Opposition councillors on the left have suggested the “obsolete” tower should instead come down and be replaced by a park that would have a cooling effect during summer heatwaves.
