Starchitect Daniel Libeskind's firm has unveiled an unusual new mixed-use skyscraper for Toulouse, France, that features a glazed facade broken up by greenery. Construction on the Occitanie Tower is due to begin in 2018 and completion is expected in 2022.
The Occitanie Tower will rise to a height of 150 m (492 ft) and include 11,000 sq m (118,403 sq ft) of office space, a Hilton hotel, up to 120 plush apartments, and a restaurant. Retail space and some additional ground floor office space is also planned.
The tower's sculpted glazed facade is broken up by a "ribbon" of greenery rising from street-level to the top, designed by landscape architect Nicolas Gilsoul. While we've no word on how many plants or trees will be included, the greenery looks very significant from the renders. A number of vertical gardens should also offer occupants plenty of outdoor space and views towards the Pyrenees mountain range at various points.
"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," says Libeskind in a press release. "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," adds the architect.
Located on the site of a former postal sorting office in Toulouse's business district, Occitanie Tower will be the city's first skyscraper. Local architect Francis Cardete is also involved in the project and it's being developed by Compagnie de Phalsbourg.
Greenery-covered towers have increased in popularity since Stefano Boeri's Boscoe Verticale proved a hit with critics, and others planned or currently underway include Boeri's Nanjing Vertical Forest, Vincent Callebaut's Agora Garden Tower, and Stéphane Malka's Plug-in City 75.
Source: Studio Libeskind