This building rocks! It's not a large pile of curves, waves and poles that intimidates viewers like most supertalls right now, but is a simple shiny block with trees!

some news, quite old :

the height has changed and decreased a lot : 265 METERS

are you sure? why?

I don't know what to think about.

this new shorter version looks better. Less crap on the top from before.

When are they going to start buildning? Omg they have talked about this since 2007!

some news, quite old :

the height has changed and decreased a lot : 265 METERS

I thought it looked shorter. The spire looks quite strange now, it might be the thickness, or maybe it's not centered anymore?

I'm French. It's really useful to decrease the height of a tower here. We have laws about we can't build towers which are taller than 300m. But many towers will be supertall ones. Wait any months to see them decreasing...

We have laws about we can't build towers which are taller than 300m.
That's wrong, in La Défense there is no height limit.

There were law to build more than 300m building. If you know La Défense, you know that no tower surpasses 300m...

But they want to build now supertall towers. But with time to get a building licence, we could expect that they won't do it...

But this tower will be awful. And less than 300m high. So why do you let it there ?

There were law to build more than 300m building. If you know La Défense, you know that no tower surpasses 300m...

No there's no height limit in La Défense, the Tour Sans Fins, cancelled for financial reasons, was planned to be more than 400m tall. Afaik it's Canary Wharf which is a business district in Europe and has a height limit (I remember it being due to the city airport corridor).

No there's no height limit in La Défense, the Tour Sans Fins, cancelled for financial reasons, was planned to be more than 400m tall. Afaik it's Canary Wharf which is a business district in Europe and has a height limit (I remember it being due to the city airport corridor).

Correct, Canary Wharf is capped to something like 240m while City Airport is operating, and the city has a cap too, but I think that is because of Heathrow. Maybe.

There were law to build more than 300m building. If you know La Défense, you know that no tower surpasses 300m...
Wow, you can deduce that there are such laws only by seeing La Défense :crazy:

Am I the only one that thinks this tower is hideous and will ruin the skyline?? :ohno:

Ye well, it might be 5 km from the Eiffeltower but it is high... So it draws attention,
and lots of it... Cutting in costs and therefor on design is the worst thing you can do.
Do it right or don't do it at all, my opinion...
Besides that, the initial design wasn't that much of a jawdropper, and now it got worse.

I really don't like the new design :( The whole construction look is gone.

In France, except La Défense, Laws are clear : the height of buildings has to be studied but they can't surpass uncertain height. Look at Urbanism and Developpement Law which describe prohibition about transformation of landscapes.

they can't surpass uncertain height.

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

This building is really ugly (no offence lol) Is that the cirque du soleil circus tent on top of that mangled structure.

+1 :lol:

From the latest news, French Government put this project out for the moment because of the Economic Crisis in here.

From the latest news, French Government put this project out for the moment because of the Economic Crisis in here.

source ?

The french government does not have any business related with this tower ... This is a private project with Generali as investor .

Last reports say tower would be ~270m , because the 300m step is too expensive (special fire norms , etc)

OK for that. But with Financial Crisis, Generali Group gets problems for building it. I was wondering if Government gets part in it. But no, it's my error. But we didn't see more progress on it... I know in France, like you, it takes too much time to build a tower or any other building.

It takes a lot of time a bit everywhere to build tall buildings I noticed, this is not specific to France or Paris. Just look at the major European and North American projects when they were first planned and when, they started (the Shard of London, the Millenium Tower, the Russia Tower etc...). For many major projects I've been fed with renders since I registered here and some constructions have just started, if they started at all.

On a side note, Britain is Great-Britain, the place you call Britain in your location is called Brittany in English :).

27/09/10

Cleaning work (gutting) of the IRIS building (which is to be demolished to make way for the 265m Generali tower) is going on & is now clearly visible from the outside as you can see in the picture below:

http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/8906/ph11255.jpg

At the same time, the construction of the technical galleries (necessary to the tower) has started:

http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/1646/ph11257.jpg

http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/6/ph11294.jpg

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/7192/ph11290.jpg

http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/1991/ph11215.jpg

Pictures by Spoudzi http://www.defense-92.com/generalilesphotos.html

PS: can somebody correct Generali's height please (scaled down a few months ago to 265m), many thanks.

Here are some nice pics taken yesterday in Dubaï by a moderator from the UAE section, 234sale:

http://i51.tinypic.com/nl391l.jpg

http://i56.tinypic.com/24g1rnr.jpg
I didn't expect it to be this transparent...cool...

http://i56.tinypic.com/246kz8z.jpg

http://i54.tinypic.com/2ps59ux.jpg

http://i53.tinypic.com/2qnqq7b.jpg

http://i52.tinypic.com/73e9tl.jpg

http://i54.tinypic.com/111rr5k.jpg

Thanks to him once again!


PS: please correct its height & number of floors: Generali has been scaled down last year to 265m and therefore has lost 6 floors (50)

awesome tower! :)

VIDEO (2008) http://l.vicidomini.free.fr/blogpro/?p=55 (http://l.vicidomini.free.fr/blogpro/?p=55)

Note that the clad has changed compared to that of the video...

Latest rendering:

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/9687/sanstitre1eo.png

18 march 2011

Il y a quelques jours, lors du MIPIM 2011, nous avions interviewé dans une vidéo, Philippe Chaix le directeur de l'EPADESA qui nous annonçait que le conseil d'administration du groupe Generali prendrait sa décision le jeudi 17 mars 2011 sur la construction ou non de la tour Générali. C'est en fait, un comité d'investissement du groupe Generali qui s'est réuni le mercredi 16 mars à Rome pour prendre la décision. A l'issue de cette réunion le comité n'a toujours pas pris de décision sur l'avenir du projet, mais précise que le dossier continue d'être analysé. Une décision définitive devrait être prise avant l'été, nous a expliqué une porte parole de Generali Immobilier France.

Pour rappel Generali a signé une promesse de vente avec l'EPADESA le 17 décembre 2010 pour son projet signé Valode et Pistre. L'assureur a également obtenu un permis modificatif.

To sum up, the italian company are to make a final decision before the summer.They had initially planned to come to a decision on 16 march in Rome but they eventually failed to do so.Therefore, in less than 2 months, they will either decide to go ahead with Generali Tower, or cancel it...

I personally like Generali whose original shape would definitely add something special to La Défense' skyline. Fingers crossed....:cripes:

http://www.defense-92.fr/photos/ph17618.JPG
Mock-up, MIPIM 2011, Cannes

http://www.defense-92.fr/archivesnewsmars2011.html

Reassuring news as invitations to tender have been issued today :

----> http://www.marchesonline.com/mol/front/visualisation/run.do?idsim=4825640&versionsim=1&typeinfo=typeao

Furthermore Generali Tower is also mentioned today in this article:

----> http://www.boursereflex.com/actu/2011/05/31/la_defense_sogecap_societe_generale_investit_dans_la_tour_d2_180_metres

Let's wait for the confirmation in June but Generali's future looks much brighter since today...:)


Both news found by Indy G

According to some recent sources (which we thought were reliable), GENERALI was supposed to be confirmed last saturday morning at La Défense as part as a meeting taking stock of the Plan de Renouveau de La Défense, but against all expectations, still no decision has been made from the Generali Group regarding the tower's confirmation or its cancellation. Indeed, they've postponed their decision for the second time...We might now have their final say in the next few weeks...:nuts:

So there is still hope that this doesn't get build? Yay :)

Yeap Seb, more than ever...(apparently you'd be happy about it...)

I love this building, but they gotta bag the spire! I doesn't fit in with the building.

No indeed, simple tower with some failed gimmicky features to compensate. They can skip this one for me :)

The generali tower is cancelled.
http://www.lesechos.fr/entreprises-secteurs/service-distribution/actu/0201502134274-generali-renonce-a-son-projet-de-tour-a-la-defense-192609.php
(in french)

Merde :(

Edited for the sake of forum harmony......

^^

No need to be like that, BodgeJob.

Where are you know Brisavoine.?....another one of the towers that he was pimping all over SSC to show the supposed superiority of Paris over London...topples over and is consumed by its own pomposity...are we taking bets on which project is next for the guillotine?....my money is on those hideous vanity projects, Tour Hermitage, quickly followed by Tour Phare.

Newcastle Guy is right Bodgejob, don't pollute this thread with your childish posts, if you want to pick on Brisavoine, just use private messages.A bon entendeur...

Regarding GENERALI, I'm really disappointed as I liked it very much, its modern design at the top would have brought something extra to the skyline...It seems that the recent troubles which shook the group's hierarchy were lethal to the project. Perhaps another investor will take over the project, who knows, but I prefer not to have great expectations...

so sad!

We need to add that the investor (Generali) is italian and unfortunately the economic situation is not going well Italy.
I am not at all surprised by this new.

People are commenting without even reading the newspaper article. The article says Generali is not going to build the tower for now, but the building permit is valid for 2 years and all legal challenges have been cleared, so they could either sell the building permit to an American investment fund (who could start construction right away, because the building permit is already there and all legal challenges are cleared; several American investment funds seem interested), or they could wait to find some coinvestors and start construction after they find those coinvestors.

Shame, one of the better Paris projects! Lets hope it's revived at some point.

Even if this isn't built something new will probably be proposed on the site in the next couple of years, possibly a superior project. La Defense has plenty on the go to keep people interested until then.

no surprise for me!

This company is a total joke and i worked for its subsidiary in insurance field.

trust me those guys aren't serious all :down:

londoners are happy? :lol:

The generali tower is cancelled.
http://www.lesechos.fr/entreprises-secteurs/service-distribution/actu/0201502134274-generali-renonce-a-son-projet-de-tour-a-la-defense-192609.php
(in french)

http://www.pic4ever.com/images/shame.gif so i will not see this tower when i visit La Defense again? http://www.pic4ever.com/images/oath.png

To quote a noble member:

Yay :)

;)

I know the news will sadden a certain forumer, but today Emin Iskenderov, the CEO of Hermitage, who is planning to build the supertall tours Hermitage, said that he's interested in buying the building permit of the tour Generali from Generali. He says the building permit is still valid and all legal challenges have been cleared, so it's a very good opportunity. He said if Generali sells the building permit to him the tower won't be 100% offices, it will be a mixed-use tower, so he will change the base of tower (access from the street and esplanade). He also said that even if Generali doesn't sell the building permit to him, he's in no doubt someone else will buy it and build the tower, because this is a very good opportunity due to the fact that there are no more lawsuits pending, so construction can start anytime, and all prepatory design work and planning has already been done.

Here is his interview in French: http://www.defense-92.fr/lesnewsdeladefense.html

Après l'annulation par l'assureur Italien de son projet, la construction de la tour pourrait tout de même voir le jour. Avec un projet abouti ayant obtenu permis de démolir et construire, purgé des recours, 10M€ investis dans les études, il s'emblerait logique que le groupe Generali revende son projet au lieu d'effectuer une simple rénovation du bâtiment existant, Iris. Avec un projet déjà ficelé et prêt à débuter, des investisseurs, promoteurs ou fonds français ou étrangers pourraient donc racheter le projet.

Emin Iskenderov, le PDG d'Hermitage nous a déclaré être intéressé par la reprise du projet. Si le promoteur Russe venait à reprendre le projet, il serait toutefois modifié. Comme pour le projet Hermitage Plaza, Emin Iskenderov souhaiterait transformer le bâtiment en une tour mixte. La tour qui n'a pas été conçue pour recevoir des logements devrait donc être modifiée notamment à son pied. Pour le PDG d'Hermitage, le projet Generali développait une surface trop importante de bureaux; il explique que les tours dépassant les 50 000m² de bureaux doivent désormais être mixtes.

Sérieusement étudiée par Hermitage, l'annonce éventuelle du projet de rachat pourrait intervenir avant le début août de cette année, si toutefois, le groupe Generali souhaite s'en séparer.

Pour Emin Iskenderov, cela ne fait aucun doute, cette tour se construira, avec ou sans lui. D'autres opérateurs immobilier pourraient être sur les rangs pour une reprise du projet, modifié ou en l'état permettant ainsi un démarrage des travaux rapide.

Par ailleurs, le PDG du groupe immobilier Hermitage qui croit en l’avenir de La Défense nous a indiqué avoir déjà fait une offre de reprise du projet, il y a 6 mois qui a été déclinée par le groupe Generali .

A ce jour l'assureur italien ne souhaite pas communiquer sur cette annulation, mais indique travailler sur la suite.


To sum up (& for those who don't understand french), some new investors might be very interested in taking over the project for some reasons (cf---> Brisavoine's previous post).

Emin Iskenderov (Hermitage's CEO) already said that he was interested in that option. If Generali are willing to sell the project, a decision could be made by Hermitage early August 2011 to buy the project. Given that everything's ready (planning permission granted, so is the demolition permission, no more legal remedies, 10 million € already invested in studies), work could be starting almost at once.

To Iskenderov, this tower 'will get built without a doubt by Hermitage or another investor'.

Well, to be continued...

http://www.defense-92.com/lesnewsdeladefense.html

Canceled?
Realy?

While it would be cool if that tower gets build I hope it won't become an alternative to Hermitage Plaza :(

This is such an elegant tower but it is not going to become like we all expected? That's a shame really.