On the up
When the 210-metre Tour Montparnasse went up in Paris’s 15th arrondissment in 1973, its unsightly bulk caused an unprecedented furore that resulted in a nearly four-decade height restriction of 37 metres across central Paris. And while the limitation was eased in 2010, allowing for 50-metre residential buildings and offices more than twice that height outside the historic centre, Paris still maintains the atavistic aversion to height. But this month a government-led body has revealed seven finalists from a long list of 700 competing for a €300m rejuvenation of the infamous Tour Montparnasse, among them homegrown talent Dominique Perrault and Chinese firm Mad. The redesign, set to begin in 2019, will overhaul the exterior and update the offices, occupied by some 450 companies, to adhere to modern requirements. With any luck, the spruced-up look will soften the capital’s stance on lofty structures.