Dominic Bradbury reports on plans for a sensuous new skyscraper

Paris has always been nervous of skyscrapers. The Tour Montparnasse (210m high and still the tallest office block in France) didn't help matters when it was built in the early 1970s. Largely despised, it only made the city even more protective of its unique, ordered, low-slung charm. Even the Eiffel Tower (324m) was famously controversial when it first appeared at the end of the 19th century, although today Parisians seem anxious to retain its largely unrivalled presence on the city's skyline.