Obélisque Tower
Epinay sur Seine (93)
An emblem of the northern Greater Paris metropolis, the Obélisque Tower is a dual symbol: that of the conquering architecture of the 1970s, and that of today’s heavily degraded large-scale co-properties. Built just prior to the 1977 High-Rise Building (IGH) law, its one-hundred-meter height bore the full brunt of skyrocketing service charges imposed by the new fire safety regulations. Accumulated debts and impossible maintenance led to a critical safety order (arrêté de péril) that permanently emptied the building in late 2021. Yet, the tower remains the beacon of the Orgemont neighborhood.
Our project is rooted in a regulatory pivot. To provide lasting financial relief for future residents, we are declassifying the tower from high-rise (IGH) status by concentrating residential units within the first 17 floors (below the 48-meter threshold), and converting the upper 13 stories into a solar power plant. The roof and facades will host photovoltaic panels: the great height, once a liability, becomes an energy asset. Meteorological and air quality sensors will complete the facility.
At ground level, the concrete deck (dalle) opens up. The oversized underground parking lot is partially excavated to accommodate a neighborhood facility, reconnecting the forecourt to the surrounding public space.
An emblem of the northern Greater Paris metropolis, the Obélisque Tower is a dual symbol: that of the conquering architecture of the 1970s, and that of today’s heavily degraded large-scale co-properties. Built just prior to the 1977 High-Rise Building (IGH) law, its one-hundred-meter height bore the full brunt of skyrocketing service charges imposed by the new fire safety regulations. Accumulated debts and impossible maintenance led to a critical safety order (arrêté de péril) that permanently emptied the building in late 2021. Yet, the tower remains the beacon of the Orgemont neighborhood.
Our project is rooted in a regulatory pivot. To provide lasting financial relief for future residents, we are declassifying the tower from high-rise (IGH) status by concentrating residential units within the first 17 floors (below the 48-meter threshold), and converting the upper 13 stories into a solar power plant. The roof and facades will host photovoltaic panels: the great height, once a liability, becomes an energy asset. Meteorological and air quality sensors will complete the facility.
At ground level, the concrete deck (dalle) opens up. The oversized underground parking lot is partially excavated to accommodate a neighborhood facility, reconnecting the forecourt to the surrounding public space.