Tour Generali
Encyclopedia
Tour Generali is a skyscraper
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...

 planned for construction in the business quarter of La Défense
La Défense
La Défense is a major business district of the Paris aire urbaine. With a population of 20,000, it is centered in an orbital motorway straddling the Hauts-de-Seine département municipalities of Nanterre, Courbevoie and Puteaux...

 in Courbevoie
Courbevoie
Courbevoie is a commune located very close to the centre of Paris, France. The centre of Courbevoie is situated 2 kilometres from the outer limits of Paris and 8.2 km...

 (Hauts-de-Seine
Hauts-de-Seine
Hauts-de-Seine is designated number 92 of the 101 départements in France. It is part of the Île-de-France region, and covers the western inner suburbs of Paris...

, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

). (Note that Generali also owns another prominent high-rise building on Avenue Louise
Avenue Louise
Avenue Louise or Louizalaan is a major thoroughfare in Brussels. It runs southeast from Louise Square to the Bois de la Cambre, covering a distance of .- History :...

 in Brussels, which is also known locally as the "Tour Generali").

The project was officially initiated on 18 October 2006 and is being built for Italian insurance company Assicurazioni Generali
Assicurazioni Generali
Assicurazioni Generali S.p.A. is the largest insurance company in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. It has its headquarters in Trieste...

. Part of the modernisation of La Défense, the project is being constructed by Vinci on the old site of the Iris building, which was completed in 1983. Tour Generali will have an estimated height of 319 meters (1100 feet) from ground level, at a total cost estimate of 500 million euros.

The building will have 400m² of PV cells, 800m² of solar panels and 18 axial wind turbines on site to produce energy. Other environmental initiatives being taken in the project include mixed-mode ventilation with night purging, use of thermal mass, district heating/cooling and multi-service chilled beam
Chilled beam
A chilled beam is a type of convection HVAC system designed to heat or cool large buildings. Pipes of water are passed through a "beam" suspended a short distance from the ceiling of a room. As the beam chills the air around it, the air becomes denser and falls to the floor...

s (e.g. ventilation, cooling heating and lighting).

Upon completion, the tower will be one of the tallest buildings in the European Union. However, the Shard London Bridge
Shard London Bridge
Shard London Bridge is a skyscraper under construction in Southwark, London. When completed in May 2012, it will be the tallest building in the European Union and the 45th-tallest building in the world, standing tall...

 building will surpass Tour Generali when it is completed in 2013.

This building is being constructed as a "green
Green
Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...

" building, and will include a wind turbines in its spire, solar panels, and other environmentally-friendly elements.

The main entrance of the tower lies at the 6th level of the tower along the elevated esplanade
Esplanade
An esplanade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The original meaning of esplanade was a large, open, level area outside fortress or city walls to provide clear fields of fire for the fortress' guns...

/promenade, which rises 18 meters above ground level.

The Tour Generali has since undergone a redesign and been shortened, and will no longer hold the title of the tallest building in the European Union. The building will now be 265m. Source: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=453810&page=14&highlight=tour+generali

See also

  • Skyscraper
    Skyscraper
    A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...

  • La Défense
    La Défense
    La Défense is a major business district of the Paris aire urbaine. With a population of 20,000, it is centered in an orbital motorway straddling the Hauts-de-Seine département municipalities of Nanterre, Courbevoie and Puteaux...

  • List of tallest structures in Paris

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK