US architect Thom Mayne — a rebel known for his love of risk-taking — has been chosen to build Paris's tallest-ever skyscraper, rivalled in height only by the Eiffel Tower, the property group behind the project said Monday.
Mayne's Los Angeles-based company Morphosis beat a cast of nine global design stars including Britain's Norman Foster and the Frenchman Jean Nouvel for the US$1billion (NT$32billion) project to be built on Paris's western rim, in the La Defence business district.
Le Phare (The Lighthouse), Mayne's 300m building — a twin structure combining a rectangular base with a soaring, organic-shaped tower — was selected by an international jury on Friday following a contest organized by the French property group Unibail.
PHOTO: AP
The project, the 61-year-old architect's first in France, is set to cost 800 million euros (US$1.05 billion).
Due for completion in 2012, the building is set to dwarf its neighbours in the high-rise La Defence district — taking second place only to the Eiffel Tower (which is 324 meters tall) on the greater Paris skyline.
Designed with ecology and sustainable development in mind, the Lighthouse will be capped with a field of wind turbines, while a "double-skin" of steel and glass will create a self-cooling mechanism for the hotter months.
Mayne, a rebel known to combine the latest technologies and materials with a penchant for design risk-taking, has been dubbed by some the "bad boy" of building design.
Strict building regulations have until now kept most high-rises firmly outside the Paris city walls — with a few notable exceptions such as the Tour Montparnasse which rises 180m over the southwest of the capital. (AFP)
以喜愛突破傳統聞名的美國叛逆建築師湯姆．緬恩已獲選為巴黎第一摩天大樓的建築師。主導這項計畫的物業集團週一表示，這棟建築的高度只有艾菲爾鐵塔能匹敵。
緬恩位於洛杉磯的模弗西斯事務所擊敗了英國的諾曼．福斯特與法國的尚．努維爾等全球九位設計明星，取得了巴黎西緣La Defence商業區的十億美元（新台幣三十二億元）營建計畫。
三百公尺（九百九十英尺）高的「Le Phare」（燈塔）是緬恩結合方形基地與高聳有機狀塔樓的雙子星建築，週五在法國物業集團Unibail規劃的大賽中獲國際評審團雀屏中選。
這項工程是這位六十一歲的建築師的法國處女作，預計斥資八億歐元（十億零五千萬美元）。
這座大樓預定於二○一二年完工，將傲視高樓林立的La Defence區毗鄰而居的建築，只比三百二十四公尺高的艾菲爾鐵塔略遜一籌。
秉持著環保與永續發展的設計，「Le Phare」上頭將裝設數座風力發電機，鋼鐵與玻璃的「雙層外牆」在炎熱月份將發動自動降溫機制。
突破常規的緬恩一向以結合最新科技與設計傾向大膽的建材著稱，被冠上了建築設計的「壞男孩」封號。
巴黎城牆外的高樓過去多遵守嚴格的建築規範，只有一些顯著例外，如矗立在首都西南部的一百八十多公尺高的蒙帕那斯大樓。 （法新社?翻譯：賴美君）
A: Hard rock band Guns N’ Roses is touring Taiwan tomorrow. What about pop diva Lady Gaga? B: Unfortunately, Singapore has once again exclusively secured Gaga’s concerts in Asia, just like Taylor Swift’s exclusive Asian shows last year. A: The Singaporean government reportedly paid up to US$2.2 million to secure Swift’s shows. B: And the shows did boost its economy and tourism. A: But I’m angry about this approach, so I’m not going to Gaga’s shows this time. A: 硬式搖滾天團槍與玫瑰明天即將來台，流行天后女神卡卡呢？ B: 真可惜，新加坡再度取得卡卡亞洲巡演的獨家主辦權，就像去年泰勒絲的亞洲獨家演出一樣。 A: 據報導新加坡政府付出高達220萬美元，取得泰勒絲的亞洲獨家主辦權。 B: 而她的秀也的確提振了該國的經濟和旅遊業。 A: 但我對此還是很不爽，所以不去新加坡看卡卡了！ （By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
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