This article first appeared in the 200612
issue of BD+C.
Developers unveiled the design for a soaring, curving skyscraper recently that will be the centerpiece of a redevelopment of La Défense, a business district west of Paris, and will rival the Eiffel Tower in height. Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Thom Mayne designed the tower, which will be called Phare, or Lighthouse. His design was selected ahead of proposals from nine other prominent architects, including Norman Foster of Britain and Rem Koolhaas of the Netherlands. The tower, rising 300 meters (984 feet), is expected to be completed in 2012. The Eiffel Tower is 324 meters tall, including antennas.
