In 2023, Paris’ only skyscraper turned 50 years old – and despite having been part of the French capital for half a century, it is still hated by locals and nationals alike. Soaring up 689 feet (210m), the stark, minimalist, chocolate-brown building sits among some of the city's finest 19th-century architecture, standing out for the wrong reasons, according to some.

So, how did the designs for such a stark tower get approved? Local leaders decided to transform the Parisian neighbourhood of Montparnasse, which was once considered a slum, into a vibrant business district. So, they called in architects Eugène Beaudouin, Urbain Cassan and Louis Hoym de Marien, to create a modern office building that would revamp the area.

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