The Triangle Tower

If there’s one thing Parisians hate, it’s skyscrapers. The drab, boxy Tour Montparnasse has been reviled since it opened in 1973; shortly after, the city passed laws restricting building height. But now, after years of debate and a controversial zoning-law change, the City of Love is set to welcome a new landmark: the 590-ft. (180 m) Triangle Tower, which recently secured approval for construction in the 15th arrondissement. Its unique shape–as designed by Herzog & de Meuron, the architectural firm behind Beijing’s Bird’s Nest stadium–is meant to minimize shadows cast on residential buildings so it blends more seamlessly into the neighborhood. Will Parisians ever embrace it? C’est possible. After all, their predecessors once protested the Eiffel Tower.

–S.B.