When the Eiffel Tower opened in 1889 to much wonder and acclaim, designer Gustave Eiffel soaked up the praise, but as if that wasn’t enough, it was soon revealed that he had built himself a small apartment near the top of the world wonder.
French company, Urban Canopee, has developed lightweight, adaptable and flexible frames, which serve as support for climbing plants — both in isolation or in groups — and to create a verdant canopy. The company hopes the easy-to-use frames will be used to grow plants on the roofs of buildings and other public spaces.
As a child, Laurent Kronental walked past Les Tours Aillaud, a group of eighteen residential towers in the Paris suburbs, in wonderment. As an adult, the looming high-rises, home to some 1600 apartments, continued to haunt his subconscious.
The skilled climber and thief Vjeran Tomic, whom the French press referred to as Spider-Man, has described robbery as an act of imagination. He was driven partly by aesthetic desire. “Certain paintings can provoke me like an emotional shock,” he said.
Miysis Studio has proposed combining a reconstruction of Notre-Dame’s spire with a modern glazed roof to “find the right balance between history and future” for the cathedral.