Jean Nouvel and his towers - PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA

One of the most famous architects in France (and beyond), he works on projects throughout Europe, as well as in Asia, North and South America. It is often very difficult to find stylistic similarities between Nouvel buildings. After all, every time he starts his project from scratch, with new inputs determined by a specific environment.

High-rise projects occupy not the last place in his already considerable creative output.

"Skyscrapers all over the world are too similar. They often seem interchangeable and can be anywhere. They rarely correspond to the character of the city itself. They are tall but anonymous. Smooth parallelepipeds that reflect a lot behind their overly shiny walls," says Jean Nouvel.

But his own skyscrapers are not like that. Each high-rise is inspired by the local cultural and historical context and fits perfectly into the landscape of the individual city. His projects are like a piece of a puzzle that was missing, the right building in the right place.

PRAGMATIKA.MEDIA has collected some of the most notable towers of Jean Nouvel.

Agbar Tower, Barcelona

1999–2005
Height: 144,4 m
34 floors + 4 underground

Torre Agbar, Barcelona

The Agbar Tower (Torre Agbar) stands in Barcelona on the edge of the new technological quarter 22@. The skyscraper, built according to the project of Jean Nouvel and the Spanish firm b720 Arquitectos, got its name from the owners - the holding company Grupo Agbar. The characteristic streamlined shape of the Nouvelle building was inspired, on the one hand, by the bell tower of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona by Antonio Gaudi, and on the other by the peaks of the Montserrat range in Catalonia.

The facade of the building is lined with multi-colored metal panels. There are about 4000 LED devices in them, which form complex combinations: from a distance, it seems that the tower shimmers with all the colors of the rainbow. In addition, the outside of the skyscraper is covered with glass panels that can move according to the signals of temperature sensors and adapt to weather changes.

Police Station, Charleroi

2009–2015
Height: 75 m
22 floors + 3 underground

53W53, New York

Police station in Charleroi

Ateliers Jean Nouvel and MDW decided to combine the headquarters of the Charleroi police and the dance studio in one place. As a result, a new accessible urban space appeared. The center of this space was a dark blue tower occupied by the police department. The idea was to create a city-wide landmark that wouldn't be too tall, but would communicate that police services are always open.

The cylindrical shape and height of the tower resemble the bell tower of Charleroi Town Hall. The exterior of the building is clad in dark blue brick, a reference to the colors of the police force. Structurally, it consists of a reinforced concrete frame and a wooden facade lined with bricks. At the same time, the building meets the criteria of a passive house. Under the tower there is a three-level underground parking lot, as well as a detention area, archives and other storage facilities.

Doha Burj, Doha

2003–2012
Height: 232 m
46 floors + 3 underground

Burj Doha / Doha Tower, Doha

Burj Doha (Burj Doha) is a high-rise office building located in the capital of Qatar. The building also has a cylindrical shape and is topped by a dome that ends with a light spire. On the outside, the tower is sheathed with a multi-layer openwork shell, which, in addition to aesthetics, has another function: it protects the building from overheating, which is especially relevant for the region. The patterns of the outer shell are reminiscent of the mashrabiya, an element of Arabic architecture, which is a wooden lattice that usually covers windows and balconies. In the dark, the surface of Burj Doha can be used as a huge screen on which an image is projected.

Marseillaise, Marseille

2006–2018
135 m
31 on top

La Marseillaise, Marseille

The Marseillise Tower (La Marseillise) became part of the renovation of the Marseille district of La Joliette. The concrete facade of the skyscraper is painted in 27 shades of red, white and blue. This palette is not a reference to the French flag, but the characteristic tones of the Marseille landscape: blue for the sky and sea, white for the coastline and clouds, red for tiled roofs and brick walls. The interiors of the building are protected from the hot Mediterranean sun by screens and profiles, which at the same time blur the silhouette of the building, making it more organic. The tower also found a place for green areas: trees were planted on the basement floor and on the roof.

53W53, New York

2007–2019
320 m
73 floors + 5 underground

53W53, New York

Recently, the construction of 53W53 in Manhattan reached its highest point: the pointed end structure was installed on the tower. Now the skyscraper has officially become the seventh tallest building in New York. Although it was originally supposed to be 381 meters high, the city authorities shortened it by 60 meters. At the same time, critics have already dubbed the new building "the most exciting addition to the Manhattan skyline" since the Empire State building and the Chrysler building.

The tower has a faceted shape and tapers towards the top, ending with several crystal-like peaks. The building is multifunctional: the New York Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) will occupy the lower floors, and apartments, a cinema, a library, a gym, a restaurant and wine cellars will also be located in the high-rise. The windows will offer a view of Central Park.