It seems Paris is fond of glass pyramids. Because city officials have just approved plans to build another giant pyramid or triangle-shaped structure, this time on the southwest edge of the city.

After years of wrangling, opposition and rejection related to environmental and esthetic concerns, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo scored a major victory Monday after councillors narrowly approved plans to begin construction of the Tour Triangle, a soaring, 180-meter (590-foot) tower.

Since first being introduced in 2008, the project has divided the city and generated heated debate, with critics charging that the project will become a glaring blight on the Paris skyline and supporters pointing out that the tower will create 5,000 jobs and new, modernized work spaces.

When construction is complete, sometime in 2020, the tower will house a four-star hotel with 120 rooms; a sky bar; restaurants; office and retail spaces; as well as a child care center, health center and cultural center for locals.

The 43-storey building, designed by Swiss architects Herzog and De Meuron, will be located at Porte de Versailles in the 15th arrondissement at a cost of around 500 million euros.

The Tour Triangle will be the first skyscraper in Paris since the opening of the Tour Montparnasse in 1973, a building Parisians love to hate.

The ensuing uproar resulted in a height limit that banned the construction of buildings taller than 37 meters, and confined high-rise buildings to the city’s financial district, La Défense.

In 2010, the rules changed to allow for the erection of office buildings up to 180 m along the city periphery.

The city is already home to an iconic, glass pyramid structure at the Louvre.
Source: Relaxnews