Tour Montparnasse

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Tour Montparnasse

Location	Paris 15th arrondissement
Construction	1969 - 1972
Use	Office
Height
Total	210 m (689 ft)
Roof	210 m (689 ft)
Technical Details
Floors	59
Floor space	88,400 m² (951,500 ft²)
Architect	Jean Saubot, Beaudouin, Cassan, de Marien

Tour Montparnasse (Montparnasse Tower) is a 210 metre (689 foot) tall office skyscraper located in Paris, France, in the area of Montparnasse. Constructed from 1969 to 1972, it is the tallest skyscraper in France. In the future, it may be superseded by the renovated Tour AXA (225 m), and later by Tour Phare and Tour Generali (both approximately 300 meters).

1 Location
2 Criticism
3 Climbing the tower
4 The asbestos problem
5 Access
6 See also
7 Gallery
8 External links

[edit] Location

Built on top of the Paris Metro station "Montparnasse-Bienvenüe", the 58 floors of the tower are mainly occupied by offices, while two floors are open to the public for viewing the city; the 56th floor with a restaurant, and the terrace on the top floor. On a clear day, the view covers a radius of 40 km; aircraft can be seen taking off from Orly Airport. The guard-rail can be removed in only two minutes to allow helicopters to land. At the time of construction, it was the tallest building in Europe by roof height. The construction of La Grande Arche in La Défense places the tower in a second line of perspective across Paris: see Axe historique.

[edit] Criticism

Its simple architecture, gigantic proportions and monolithic appearance have been often criticised for being out of place in Paris's urban landscape and, as a result, two years after its completion, the construction of skyscrapers in the city centre was banned. It is often said, only half-jokingly, that the best thing about working in the tower is that it's the only place in Paris from which the tower cannot be seen on the skyline. The design of the tower predates architectural trends that placed high importance on a view of the outside, and so only offices around the perimeter of each floor have windows (more modern skyscrapers are often designed to provide a window for every office, if possible).

Paris from the observation deck of Tour Montparnasse.

[edit] Climbing the tower

In 1995, French urban climber, Alain "Spiderman" Robert, using only his bare hands and feet and with no safety devices of any kind, scaled the building's exterior glass and steel wall to the top.

[edit] The asbestos problem

In 2005, studies showed that the tower contained asbestos material. Asbestos when inhaled, for instance during repairs, is a known carcinogen. As with the Jussieu Campus, the problem of removing the asbestos material from a large building used by thousands of people is acute. Projected completion times for removal are: 3 years if the building is emptied for the duration of the work, and 10 years if the building is not emptied.