MAD Architects unveils “Mirage,” a renovation proposal for the Montparnasse Tower, at the Pavillion de l’Arsenal, Paris. The design aims to transform the Montparnasse Tower, positioned in the center of the city, into an artistic lighting installation that reflects the city upside down.After its completion in 1973, the 210 meter high Montparnasse Tower became the tallest building in Paris. But over the years, its intrusive existence in the city has led to it being coined as the “scar of Paris.” In 2016, the owner organized an international competition to renovate the tower, and MAD Architects was one of the seven short-listed firms out of more than 700 teams that participated.MAD’s design uses concave principles to create an optical illusion by setting every glass panel of the façade to a specific angle, turning the building itself into a city-scale concave mirror. The streets and rooftops of the neighboring buildings appear as if they are hanging in the sky, while the sky is mirrored onto the lower section of the building. The Eiffel Tower will also appear upside down when looking at Montparnasse Tower from the said direction.Ma Yansong of MAD Architects said, “At the time when it was built, Montparnasse Tower, like the Eiffel Tower, represented the pride and achievements of its era. Today, we cannot really demolish this building and the historical regrets it stands for, but we can establish a new perspective to re-examine and think about how humanity can co-exist and interact with the tower and its environment, to bring meaning to our hearts.”MAD’s “Mirage” design proposal is currently on view as part of the Tour Montparnasse Exhibition at Pavillion de l’Arsenal, Paris, noted World Architecture News.  Read more