Some say that the Tour Montparnasse, in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, offers the most beautiful view of the capital, because from there you cannot see the tower itself. This is a widespread opinion among Parisians, who see the infamous tower, second in height only to the Eiffel Tower, not so much as a building but as an architectural sin. Built in 1973 to a design by Eugène Beaudouin, Jean Saubot, Urbain Cassan and Louis de Hoÿm de Marien, the building has long been only partially used, degraded and with widespread traces of asbestos, but it is now preparing to be renovated by Nouvelle AOM, rekindling the hopes of its detractors.
Renzo Piano to redesign the area around the Tour Montparnasse
In line with the ongoing renovation of Paris's most reviled tower, Renzo Piano is designing the area of the shopping centre below as a new multifunctional urban space open to the city.
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- Chiara Testoni
- 21 January 2026
A “renaissance” (not only aesthetic but functional) that stretches from the building to the surrounding area, where a regeneration programme is planned for the site largely occupied by the Maine-Montparnasse shopping centre, now almost in ruins, at the base of the skyscraper.
The project, as Le Monde recently confirmed, will be designed by Renzo Piano, an honorary citizen of the French capital who, with the aim of reintegrating the area into the urban fabric, has planned a variety of functions (a student residence, shops, sports facilities,...) and new tree-lined public spaces, in order to mitigate heat islands in the densely built-up context and foster new dynamics of interaction and sociality.
The details of the project have not yet been revealed, but rumour has it that work will begin by 2028.
Opening image: View of the proposed restructuring of the Maine-Montparnasse shopping center. RENZO PIANO BUILDING WORKSHOP