Foster + Partners Hermitage Plaza one step closer to Europe's tallest

PARIS: The €2.5 billion Hermitage Plaza was this week granted planning approval in the French capital.

Developed by Russian property developer

Hermitage SAS and designed by

Foster + Partners, the two 93 story towers will create a new community to the east of La Défense business district, in Courbevoie on the river Seine.

Both buildings within Hermitage Plaza will rise 320 metres (1,070 feet) high which after completion in 2016 will eclipse the still under construction Shard tower in London to become the tallest buildings in the European Union (see video below).

It will also stand just one metre below the famous Eiffel Tower.

According to Grant Brooker, a senior partner at British architecture firm Foster + Partners:

“Our ambition was to create a project that would inject new life into La Défense by bringing a new type of occupation and creating a new public focus on the edge of the Seine. This announcement represents a very important stage in the project’s development and is thanks to the passion of our client, Emin Iskenderov, and the support we have had from EPAD, the City of Courbevoie and the Département de Hauts-de-Seine – we could not have reached this milestone without them.”

The two mixed-use towers will accommodate a 201-room 5 star Four Seasons hotel and spa, 534 apartments, 18 storeys of offices and serviced apartments.

In an

interview with France 24,  Emin Iskenderov, CEO of Hermitage explained his vision for revolutionising La Défense into one of the great lifestyle precincts of the world.

"The idea is to create the first mixed use tower which will become a new destination for Paris. I want people to come here on the weekends. I want the biggest companies in Paris to come here".

Office space is contained within a diamond-shaped podium building, with two detached satellite buildings housing a gallery and auditorium that further extend the public realm.

The buildings are oriented towards each other at ground and then angle away to address views across Paris. The façade panels promote self-shading with openable vents capturing fresh air, contributing to an environmental strategy that targets a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating.

The highly efficient diagrid structure uses less steel and emphasises the elegant proportions of the towers.

Under the proposal, an existing road will be buried beneath a landscaped deck to create the riverfront public piazza which is lined with cafes and restaurants.