Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil McAvity
They both stuck huge towers (Maine Montparnasse in Paris and the Williams Tower in Houston), outside their CBD's so they both got deprived of an important part of their skylines.
|
Actually the Montparnasse Tower wasn't meant to be an isolated tower. It is only because of the 1974 Oil Shock, the ensuing economic crisis + the new French president who was opposed to the skyscrapers of his predecessor + the Paris public who were shocked by the height of the Montaparnasse Tower that all new projects were cancelled, and skyscraper construction in inner Paris was frozen. Now, after more than 30 years of construction freeze, it seems things are finally changing. The new Paris mayor has allowed again skyscrapers in the inner city. Not yet at Montparnasse, but more and more people say the Montparnasse Tower shouldn't be standing alone, so I'm quite optimistic that at some point a cluster of towers will emerge at Montparnasse next to the Montparnasse Tower. The location is perfect: huge train and subway interchange station, lots of crappy 1970s buildings that are only waiting to be demolished. In my opinion, Montparnasse has even more potential than La Défense, because it is more central, and built over streets like Manhattan or downtown Chicago (quite different from La Défense which doesn't have any streets and feels like an island disconnected from the city).
So the Montparnasse Tower should probably not stand forever alone. Even Jean Nouvel, the famous architect, argues that the Paris authorities should be bold and allow new towers at Montparnasse.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil McAvity
New Brisavoine, good job. You have made a compelling argument in comparing two cities that are completely different.
|
Actually it is the forumer Substructure at Skyscrapercity who made the comparison between the Paris and Houston skylines. I merely posted his photomontage here, because I was curious what people thought about it.
A funny thing is Substructure probably didn't know it when he made his photomontage, but it is actually *I* who took the picture of the Paris skyline that he used in his photomontage. Since I took that picture 2 years ago, I've shown it to several American friends (I used to live in the US) and told them to guess the city. Well, most of them had no clue. Some asked me: "Is it Denver?" Others asked me: "Is it Houston?" Absolutely none of them guessed it was Paris, yet they know I now live in Paris. A funny experience really. It's just a picture that doesn't conform to what people expect Paris to be.
Anyway, here is another great pic of Paris La Défense which was found by the French forumer Cyril. It's already impressive enough today when you stand at ground level on the avenue in the middle of the picture, so I can't imagine how crazy it will be when the 5 planned supertalls are completed (it will be like adding 5 Eiffel Towers in that picture).