Compagnie de Phalsbourg (Paris) unveiled two competition winning projects by Studio Libeskind (New York) during the international property market MIPIM in Cannes, France recently. The sculpted Occitanie Tower will rise 150m above the Canal du Midi in the heart of the business sector of Toulouse. Set to be the first skyscraper in the city, the tower’s curvaceous form is interrupted by a spiral of greenery that rises from street level up to the 40th floor. The tower includes 11,000 sq m of office space, a Hilton hotel, up to 120 apartments, a restaurant with panoramic views, commercial space for shops, and offices on the ground floor for the railway company SNCF.
Integrated into the overall form of the building, the façade and public platform is a continuous vertical landscape. This vertical green ribbon referenced the lush waterway of Canal du Midi that winds through the city. Trees will line the platform of the building and a ribbon of gardens will curl around the glass facade to its full height. The vertical gardens will be designed by the landscape architect Nicolas Gilsoul.
“With its suspended gardens that change colour during the seasons, the slight silvertine of the glazing of the façade will reflect the pink tones of Toulouse and the brightness of this material will change perception of the space, according to the variation of light,” said architect Daniel Libeskind. “The tower becomes a unique object in a vast urban space – the tower will not only become a destination, but also a defining public space,” added Libeskind.
The tower will be built on the site of the former postal sorting centre at Gare Matabiau. Situated east of the city centre, and away from the Garonne River, the building will have views towards the Pyrenees, that are less than 100 km away. The project is projected to become the gateway to the city’s growing business sector.
“Toulouse is poised to assert itself as a new business hub in the region,” said developer Philippe Journo. “The Occitanie Tower will create both an iconic landmark for the city as well as create a strategic economic generator for the district,” added Journo.
Studio Libeskind will collaborate with Toulouse architect Francis Cardete. The construction start date is slated for 2018 with the project completing in 2022
See separate project write up for details of the second project in Nice, France.
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Nick Myall
News editor
