Four design teams have been shortlisted for a project to reimagine the Eiffel Tower's visitor experience.
Groups led by AL_A, Gustafson, Porter + Bowman, Agence Ter and Koz Architectes are in the running for the large-scale project, which covers a 540,000sq m area either side of the River Seine.
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has voiced the city’s ambition to make every visit to the landmark more enjoyable and accessible by rebalancing the use of the public space for the benefit of the tower’s seven million visitors and the 20 million who pass by each year.
Plans include the accentuation of the architectural quality of the tower, the enhancement of the pedestrian experience at the base of the tower and the improvement of the surrounding public transport networks.
The layout of the site will be simplified, and more seating areas and catering points will be offered, as will cultural elements that place the importance and history of the site into context.
The completion of the project in 2023
will allow the Eiffel Tower to play a leading role in the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games. "It is not a question of reinventing the Eiffel Tower, but of magnifying it by connecting it with its environment – be it the Seine, the Trocadero or the Champ de Mars," said Jean-Louis Missika, deputy in charge of urban planning and architecture for the city.
Speaking about her firm’s place on the shortlist, AL_A founder Amanda Levete said: “The Tour Eiffel is a national symbol etched into a global consciousness and its iconography is understood across generations and cultures. We are honoured to be given the opportunity to engage with the city of Paris to reimagine and improve the experience for every one of Paris’s most iconic and beloved landmark.”
The shortlisted teams are as follows:
• AL_A [UK] and Gross.Max [UK]
• Gustafson Porter + Bowman [UK]
• Agence Ter [FR] and Carlo Ratti Associati [IT]
• Koz Architectes [FR], Jun’ya Ishigami (JP) and Atelier Roberta [FR]
