Here are the lists of the tallest buildings of France which include spires and masts. (updated 2 May 2016)
The vast majority of French skyscrapers are located in the CBD of La Défense, Paris which is home to 7 out of the 10 tallest buildings in France. Of France’s high-rise buildings, only 3 are with a height of over 200 m and 31 with a height of over 100 m Compared to Australia with 26 buildings with a height of over 200 m in 2013, France’s skyscraper record is not particularly impressive. Despite its soaring medieval cathedrals (Strasbourg was once the world’s tallest building), the country does not have a history of tall buildings as do other European cities such as London and Frankfurt. This is often due to the settings of height limit enforced from the 1960s in order to protect the heritage of historic town-centres.
Nevertheless the skyline of La Défense, a CBD created in the aftermath of WW2 just outside the limits of Paris, is impressive by European standards. Proposal towers (Heritage Plaza [323 m], Tour Hekla [220 m] and Tour Air2 [202 m]) will put France back to the top rank of Europe’s tallest skyscrapers alongside London, Frankfurt and Moscow.
Top 10 Tallest Buildings of France
The Top 10 tallest buildings of France in 2016 includes 8 skyscrapers located in Paris’ CBD La Défense, 1 in Paris, 1 in the suburbs of Paris and 1 in Lyon.
- 1. Tour First (231 metres), 52 floors, completed in 2011, located in Paris-La Défense
- 2. Tour Montparnasse (210 metres), 59 floors, completed in 1972, located in Paris
- 3. Tour Intercity (202 metres), 39 floors, completed in 2015, located in Lyon
- 4. Tour Majunga (195 metres), 47 floors, completed in 2013, located in Paris- La Défense
- 5. Tour Total (190 metres), 48 floors, completed in 1985, located in Paris-La Défense
- 6. Tour CB21 (187 metres), 42 floors, completed in 1974, located in Paris- La Défense
- 7. Tour GDF Suez (185 metres), 36 floors, completed in 2008, located in Paris-La Défense
- 8. Tour Granite of Société Générale (184 metres), 35 floors, completed in 2008, located in Paris-La Défense
- =8. Tour Areva (184 metres), 44 floors, completed in 1974, located in Paris-La Défense
- 10. Tour Levant (175 metres), 33 floors, completed in 1975, located in Bagnolet (Île de France)
The list goes on…
- 11. Tour Alicante of Société Générale (167 metres), 37 floors, completed in 1995, located in Paris-La Défense
- =11. Tour Chassagne of Société Générale (167 metres), 37 floors, completed in 1995, located in Paris-La Défense
- 13. Tour Carpe Diem (166 metres), Paris-La Défense
- 14. Tour EDF (165 metres), Paris-La Défense
- =14. Tour Part-Dieu (165 metres), Lyon
- 15. Cœur Défense (161 metres), Paris-La Défense
- 16. Tour Adria (155 metres), Paris-La Défense
- =16. Tour Égée (155 metres), Paris-La Défense
- 17. Tour Ariane (152 metres), Paris-La Défense
- 18. Tour Les Poissons (150 metres), Paris-La Défense
- 19. Tour CMA-CGM (147 metres), Marseille
- 20. Tour Bretagne (144 metres), Nantes
- 21. Tour Pleyel (143 metres), Saint-Denis
Top 10 Tallest Buildings of Provincial France
This list based on existing buildings in 2015 does not include skyscrapers from Paris and the Île de France region.
- 1. Tour Intercity (202 metres), Lyon
- 2. Tour Part-Dieu (165 metres), Lyon
- 3. Tour CMA-CGM (147 metres), Marseille
- 4. Tour Bretagne (144 metres), Nantes
- 5. Tour de Lille (120 metres), Lille
- 6. Tour Oxygène (115 metres), Lyon
- 7. Tour de l’Europe (112 metres), Mulhouse
- =7. Tour A de la Cité Administrative (112 metres), Bordeaux
- 9. Tour Perret (110 metres), Amiens
- =9. Tour Lilleurope (110 metres), Lille
- 11. Tour Panoramique Les Aulnes (108 metres), Maxéville, Nancy
The list goes on…
- 12. Tour de l’Éperon (105 metres), Rennes
- 13. Tour Thiers (104 metres), Nancy
- =13. Tour des Archives (104 metres), Rouen
- 15. CHRU de Caen (103 metres), Caen
- 16. Les Horizons (100 metres), Rennes
- 17. Tour Méditerranée (95 metres), Marseille
- 18. Tour Belledonne (92 metres), Grenoble
- =18. Tour Vercors (92 metres), Grenoble
- 20. Tour Réservoir Plein Ciel (92 metres), Saint-Étienne
- 21. Tour Europe (90 metres), Strasbourg
Top 10 Tallest Structures of France
Most of France’s tallest structures include radio masts. In 2013, the first skyscraper found in the list is the Tour First (rank #26). The Eiffel Tower is far from being France’s tallest structure at #9.
- 1. Central Pylon of the Rosnay Radio Transmitter (357 metres), département of Indre
- 2. Radio mast 1 of Allouis (354 metres), département of Cher
- 3. Radio mast 2 of Allouis (354 metres), département of Cher
- 4. Viaduc de Millau (343 metres), département of Aveyron [France’s highest bridge]
- 5. Radio mast of Mayet (342 metres), département of Sarthe
- 6. Radio Transmitter of La Regine (331 metres), département of Aude
- 7. Radio mast of Roumoules (330 metres), département of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
- 8. Radio mast of Niort-Maisonnay (328 metres), département of Deux-Sèvres
- 9. Eiffel Tower (324 metres), Paris
- 10. Radio Transmitter of Kerlouan (310 metres), département of Finistère
The list goes on…
- 11. Radio mast of Bouvigny-Boyeffles (307 metres), département of Pas-de-Calais
- 12. Radio mast of Roumoules (300 metres), département of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
- 13. Chimney of Gardanne Thermal Power Station (297 metres), département of Bouches-du-Rhône [ the tallest chimney of France]
- 14. Radio mast of Fleury (289 metres), département of Aisne
- 15. Radio mast of Nordheim (273 metres), département of Bas-Rhin
- 16. Radio mast of Saint-Pern (271 metres), département of Ille-et-Vilaine
- 17. Radio mast of Sainte-Assise (255 metres), département of Seine-et-Marne
- 18. Radio mast of Tramoyes (253 metres), département of Ain
- 19. Radio mast of Bouliac (252 metres), département of Gironde
- 20. Chimney of Aramon Thermal Power Station (250 metres), département of Gard
- 21. Radio mast of Peille (250 metres), département of Alpes-Maritime
- 22. Radio mast of Hautvillers (246 metres), département of Marne
- 23. Radio mast of Luttange (241 metres), département of Moselle
- 24. Chimney of Le Havre Power Station (240 metres), département of Seine-Maritime
- 25. Pont de Normandie (236 metres), départements of Calvados and Seine-Maritime
- 26. Tour First (231 metres), Paris-La Défense
- 27. Radio mast of Les Cars (229 metres), département of Haute-Vienne
- 28. Radio mast of Haute-Goulaine (225 metres), département of Loire-Atlantique
- =28. Radio mast of Les Riceys (225 metres), département of Aube
- =28. Radio mast of Roc’h Trédudon, Plounéour-Ménez (225 metres), département of Finistère
- 31. Chimney of Cordemais Thermal Power Station (220 metres), département of Loire-Atlantique
- =31. Chimney 1 of Porcheville Thermal Power Station (220 metres), département of Yvelines
- =31. Chimney 2 of Porcheville Thermal Power Station (220 metres), département of Yvelines
- =31. Radio mast of Chissay (220 metres), département of Loir-et-Cher
- =31. Radio mast of Nancy-Malzéville (220 metres), département of Meurthe-et-Moselle
- =31. Radio mast of Maudétour-en-Vexin (220 metres), département of Val d’Oise
- =31. Radio mast of Montlandon (220 metres), département of Eure-et-Loir
- =31. Radio mast of Mont Pinçon, Le Plessis-Grimoult (220 metres), département of Calvados
- =31. Radio mast of Thourie (220 metres), département of Ille-et-Vilaine
- 40. Tour Montparnasse (215 metres), Paris
English-French Vocabulary
(f) for féminin, (m) for masculin, (adj) for adjective and (v) for verbs
- bridge = pont (m)
- building = bâtiment (m)
- central business district = quartier d’affaires (m)
- city = ville (f)
- chimney = cheminée (f)
- height = hauteur (f)
- high = haut (adj,m) / haute (adj,f)
- high-rise building = bâtiment de grande hauteur (m)
- radio mast = émetteur (m)
- skyscraper = gratte-ciel (m)
- structure = structure (f)
- tower = tour (f)
Do you love tall buildings? What is your favourite French skyscraper!
Sources:
https://www.emporis.com
https://fr.structurae.de
http://www.pss-archi.eu
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_des_gratte-ciel_et_IGH_en_France
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liste_des_plus_hautes_structures_de_France
French urban climber Alain “Spiderman” Robert, using only his bare hands and feet and with no safety devices of any kind, scaled the building’s exterior glass and steel wall to the top twice, in 1995 His achievement was repeated by polish climber Marcin Banot in 2020. From the middle of the way he was accompanied by a lifeguard on a rope but Marcin refused to connect a safety rope and climbed to the top without any help.