From the ring road or the Porte de la Villette, it intrigues motorists and passers-by alike: a tall concrete tower with a slightly austere appearance, topped by an unusual green roof. It's the Tour La Villette, a former office tower from the 1970s, often overlooked... but intriguing. What was it used for, and what could it become? We enlighten you.
Tour La Villette is the 125-metre skyscraper that dominates Porte de la Villette, on the border between Paris and Aubervilliers. Built in the 1970s, it housed office space for several decades, before gradually emptying. Now silent, this tower, the second tallest in Seine-Saint-Denis, could soon be given a new lease of life...
Built between 1972 and 1974, it was originally called the Périphérique Tower, before becoming the Daewoo Tower in the 1990s.Architect Michel Holley, who has designed several residential towers in the Greater Paris area, designed it in a functional style typical of the period: a concrete facade pierced by square, unadorned windows. The small green roof on top is reminiscent of an Asian inspiration.
Mainly office space: over 40,000 m² spread over 35 floors. At one time, it even housed a business school. At its heart, batteries of elevators, open floors, architecture designed for efficiency rather than elegance. Over time, however, the building became increasingly depopulated, until it was virtually empty.
Because it dominates a landscape with no other towers, emerging between the ring road and the RER tracks. Isolated, with its rough appearance and green hat, it looks like something out of a 70s film. And for many passers-by, it remains a vertical enigma.
The tower now belongs to a real estate group, Eurasia, which is reportedly planning to transform it into a multi-use building: some office space, some accommodation, coworking, retail, perhaps even a hanging garden. Rehabilitation work is said to be envisaged, with delivery hoped for before the 2024 Olympic Games. But be warned, all this remains conditional: the permits have been filed, the intentions declared, but thetower itself has not yet moved.
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Location
La Villette Tower
26 Rue Emile Reynaud
93300 Aubervilliers















