Anglophones will call this The Lighthouse، but the Frenchies will call it Le Phare، which means... building or something، in French.  Like the Tall Building Lighthouse in Dubai، the Parisian lighthouse is also a "low carbon" project، and we here at HAWT <3 that.  This is Le Phare.

That.  Is.  Sassy.

Designed by architect Thomas Maine، this is quite a controversial project.  See، tall buildings are not allowed in Paris.  The Eiffel Tower remains the tallest dude in the classroom، and that´s by law: for the last 30 years، no buildings have been allowed that even approach the height of good ol´ Eiffel.

Here comes the Public Body for the Development of La Défense، a group focused on gentrifying Paris´ northwest neighborhood called La Défense.  They say... we want this 990 foot building (300 meters)، and we´re going to get it.  And so they are getting it. The Eiffel Tower، by the way، is taller at 1،064 feet (324 meters).

About this "low carbon" initiative.  How?  The first step is wind power.  Like the Dubai Lighthouse، this one has wind turbines on its roof.  That collected power will drive the building´s heating and cooling systems for half a year، with no external juice or systems.  That is... HAWT... action.   In addition، Maine has built a double-layer building of steel and glass.  That double layer provides great insulation.  Actually، the outer layer is retractable and will reduce sunlight through the windows in summer.  Also... HAWT... action.

The building is actually on a tripod support، with three legs holding up the sassiness.  Yes، pedestrians will be able to walk right beneath it.  You can bet I´ll be there someday، staring up its skirt.

Construction began in 2007 and is expected to be done in 2012 for just over {$$data} billion.  5 years seems like a long time، but remember them Europeans vacations، eh?  The 1.9 millions square feet (175،000 square meters) will be mainly business، with the ground floor being an elevated public plaza with gardens، cafes and shops.  In addition، there will be an observation deck and sky restaurant، which is nice، ´cause the view will be amazing