Last edited 04 Apr 2017

Occitanie Tower, Toulouse

[Image © MORPH]

In March 2017, Studio Libeskind revealed their designs for a new high-rise building for the heart of the business sector of Toulouse, France. The sculpted Occitanie Tower will rise 150 m above the Canal du Midi, and is set to be the first skyscraper in the city.

[Image © Luxigon]

Integrated into the overall form of the building, the façade and public platform is a continuous vertical landscape. The platform of the building with be lined with trees, while a ribbon of gardens will curl around the glass facade to its full height. The vertical gardens will be designed by andscape architect Nicolas Gilsoul.

The tower includes 11,000 sq. m of office space, a Hilton hotel, up to 120 apartments, a restaurant with panoramic views, commercial space for shops, and offices on the ground floor for railway company SNCF.

Situated to the east of the city centre, away from the Garonne River, the building will have views towards the Pyrenees, that are less than 100 km away. The project will become the gateway to the city’s growing business sector.

[Image © Luxigon]

Daniel Libeskind said:

“With its suspended gardens that change color during the seasons, the slight silvertine of the glazing of the façade will reflect the pink tones of Toulouse and the brightness of this material will change perception of the space, according to the variation of light.

“The tower becomes a unique object in a vast urban space – the tower will not only become a destination, but also a defining public space.”

Studio Libeskind will collaborate with Toulouse architect Francis Cardete. Construction is expected to start in 2018, with a project completion date of 2022.

Content and images courtesy of Studio Libeskind.