Montparnasse Tower

About The Montparnasse Tower

Column free pergola shading for an exposed roof terrace

At a vast 210m, the Montparnasse Tower maintained its status as France’s tallest skyscraper for almost 40 years, from 1973 when it was completed, until 2011 when it was finally surpassed by the 231m Tour First. Currently the European Union’s 14^th tallest building, it offers views that extend 40km across Paris from its viewing terrace on the top floor.

Solar shading was required on this terrace for high profile events such as presidential state visits and high level commercial meetings. Design challenges included high wind speeds and a requirement for no columns to be installed, in order to preserve the exceptional 360 degree views.

Guthrie Douglas’ TESS^TM 512 systems were installed by Dubos Verger to span the full 16m width of the southernmost area of the terrace, suspended on steel support cables, providing a vast, column-free, floating canopy. Steel rods were incorporated within the fabric panels to meet the wind resistance requirements, and wind sensors applied to automatically retract the shades in extreme conditions.

The result is a spectacular outdoor space, protected from the elements, which is regularly used and enjoyed all year round.

Guthrie Douglas offer a bespoke design service for shading systems intended for outdoor spaces and testing climates. Click here to read about the TESS^TM 440 systems installed on a luxury residential tower development in Israel.