Tour Super-Italie, Skyscraper at avenue d'Italie, 13th arrondissement of Paris, France
Tour Super-Italie is a residential tower at 121-127 avenue d'Italie in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, 112 metres tall and the highest of the Italie 13 towers. Its light grey concrete facade is wrapped in continuous curved balcony bands with slender vertical railings, and a steep overhanging roof covers the top three levels. The plan is a double basket-handle curve, which is why the neighbourhood calls it the round tower.
Architect Maurice Novarina designed the tower, which was completed in 1974 as part of the Italie 13 urban renewal project. The area around avenue d'Italie was transformed during this period, with several towers going up to replace older low-rise blocks.
Locals call it the "tour ronde" (round tower), because it is cylindrical while the other towers of the 13th arrondissement are rectangular blocks. It is the tallest of the Italie 13 towers, and a second, identical tower planned for the same block was never built after the programme was halted under Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.
The tower stands close to Maison Blanche metro station, making it easy to reach from central Paris. Visitors exploring the area on foot will find shops and cafes nearby along avenue d'Italie.
The tower's nickname in the neighbourhood is "the round tower", because it is cylindrical while the other towers of the 13th arrondissement are rectangular blocks. Its total weight is 44,000 tonnes, about four and a half times that of the Eiffel Tower.
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