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The new Monaco skyline
2010-03-17 14:55
Despite recent setbacks, the controversial Odeon Tower is set to become part of the Monegasque urban landscape. At 170 metres and 49 floors, it will be the tallest skyscraper in the Principality.
Construction began in 2009 and is sheduled to end in 2014. During the build, the Annonciade area will continue to experience some disturbance, even though steps have been taken to reduce noise and pollution necessarily linked to a project of such scale.
For all this, the Odeon will be a true work of art. The building will take the form of two major components, distinctive both in terms of height. materials and elliptical shape. These will be linked with an octagonal platform.
Its original shape is the result not only of the creative imagination of architect Alexandre Giraldi, but also numerous tests carried out in the design phase to ensure effective wind resistance from all angles. This is particularly significant in a location (on a slope facing the sea) which is prone to strong air currents.
For years, Monaco has looked for ways of accommodating ever more residents and businesses within its tiny land area. In order to avoid overshadowing Monaco with tall buildings, Prince Rainier called a halt to such constructions, and concentrated instead on wider, lower buildings erected on an extension into the sea - Fontvieille. But in 2008, at the height of the credit crisis, a similar extension - Princess Grace island, off Larvotto - was cancelled by Prince Albert owing to concerns over its expense; and it was at that point that the skyscraper project resurfaced and new plans drawn up.
The SCI Odeon project has gone ahead only after considerable planning constraints. Final approval meant that the land was released to the Marzocco Group only in July 2009, following the addition of a floor to Charles III College in compensation for land lost. In November the foundations were blessed by the church authorities, in 2010 the anti-noise measures were put in place, and 2012 should see the beginning of the main build.
The tower will have a triple function - the lower floors will house commercial spaces, while the upper floors will be divided into offices and residentail spaces, some of them owned by the state with preferential rents for Monegasque citizens.
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Eva Esztergar
