OMA, MAD Among 7 Architects Selected in Competition to Redesign Tour Montparnasse

The Ensemble Immobilier Tour Maine-Montparnasse (EITMM) has selected 7 notable firms to continue to the second round in a competition for the renovation of Tour Montparnasse in the Montparnasse district of Paris, France.

Often cited as one of the architecture world’s most hated buildings, Tour Montparnasse has been criticized for its discordance with the Parisian urban landscape – just two years after its completion, new buildings over seven stories high in the city centre were banned, leaving the tower as an alien presence on the skyline.

With the launching of the competition, the EITMM hopes to transform Tour Montparnasse into a beloved landmark with a complete renovation of the facade, the building entry and all interior spaces. The budget for the project is estimated to reach over 300 million Euro ($330 million USD), and will be funded in entirety by the building owners.

After receiving inquiries from over 700 interested candidates, the list has been narrowed down to 7 multi-disciplinary teams, who will now design proposals that are “capable of giving a powerful, innovative, dynamic and ambitious new identity to the famous Parisian landmark, whilst integrating the challenges of usage, comfort and energy performance to the highest levels.”

The 7 selected architects are as follows:

• Architecture Studio (France)
• Dominique Perrault Architecture (France)
• MAD Architects (China) + DGLA (France)
• nAOM (Franklin Azzi Architecture / Chartier Dalix / Hardel-Lebihan Architectes) (France)
• OMA (The Netherlands)
• PLP Architecture (UK)
• Studio Gang (USA)

The firms were selected by representatives for the Tower co-owners. “The 7 agencies were selected for their reliability, expertise, audacity and their understanding of the challenges we face,” remarked one stakeholder.

The second stage of the competition is now underway, as the seven teams will now prepare their proposals to be submitted in March 2017. The list will then be narrowed down to 2 finalists, with a winner expected to be selected in July 2017. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2019, with completion coming in 2023.

The competition is the first step in a much larger plan, Demain Montparnasse, aimed at “restoring the surrounding property’s role as a modern and accessible urban centre in the heart of Paris’s left bank.”