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Jean Nouvel’s leaning towers — where colour and solar power share a single skin
A new Paris landmark — where the architect’s palette and the power plant are the same surface
An architectural icon for the 13th — bold design and deep sustainability as one ambition
Rising from the 13th arrondissement — where the Seine curves toward the Bibliothèque nationale and the new Paris Rive Gauche district takes shape — Tours Duo is Jean Nouvel’s answer to the question of what a contemporary Parisian tower can be. Two leaning volumes embrace each other and the river in a V-shaped silhouette, their skins articulated with colour and texture rather than glass alone.
The integration of ISSOL® Chroma transforms that coloured skin from passive cladding into an active generator. Active and passive panels share the same custom RAL finish; from street level the façade reads as a single, seamless composition. The energy is invisible. The architecture is not.
Colour-matched, custom-sized and certified — without a millimetre of compromise to the design
- Every active BIPV panel colour-matched to the architect’s palette — solid or rasterised finish, custom RAL, seamlessly blended with non-active panels in the same façade rhythm
- Custom panel sizes up to 4.3 m × 2.2 m resolved across a geometry of leaning, non-orthogonal tower elevations
- Opaque PERC mono cell construction: fully coloured, zero transparency — maintaining the building’s bold, graphic character
- Double laminated safety glass with UV-stable EVA interlayer and extra-clear structured exterior glass; colour stable and protected from the elements over the panel’s full service life
- LEED® Platinum and HQE Exceptional certification targets; BIPV contribution integral to energy performance scoring
- Façade engineering coordinated with Eppag; construction delivered by Bateg / Groupe Vinci within a complex PPP programme
Why it fits: ISSOL® Chroma is the only BIPV product that gives an architect a fully opaque, fully coloured panel in any RAL — solid or rasterised — without sacrificing output. For Tours Duo, that meant Jean Nouvel’s team could specify the façade texture and the power plant in a single drawing note. Active and non-active panels share the same finish so the rhythm of the elevation is never broken by the presence of solar cells. PERC mono cells deliver 100–160 Wp/m² behind that colour layer; UV-stable double lamination ensures the finish holds over the building’s lifetime.
Parameters for rapid evaluation
| Parameter | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application | BIPV tower façade | Coloured BIPV cladding; leaning high-rise elevations; active and passive panels in unified finish |
| ISSOL® solution | ISSOL® Chroma | Double laminated safety glass; colour-treated front glass or interlayer; UV-stable EVA; PERC mono cells |
| Cell type | Monocrystalline PERC (G1/M10) | High-efficiency cells behind fully opaque colour layer |
| System output | 100–160 Wp/m² | Across custom panel sizes and finishes |
| Transparency | 0% — fully opaque | Coloured cladding character; no visible cell matrix |
| Finish | Custom RAL | Solid or rasterised; seamlessly matched with non-active panels |
| Max panel size | 4.3 m × 2.2 m | Custom sizes resolved per elevation zone |
| Exterior glass | Extra-clear coated (matte / structured) | Durable, element-resistant outer surface |
| Interlayer | EVA (UV-stable) | Colour-stable and protected over service lifetime |
| Façade engineering | Eppag | Structural and envelope engineering coordination |
| Main contractor | Bateg / Groupe Vinci | Construction delivery |
| Completed | 2022 | Paris, 13e arrondissement |
“The aim wasn’t just to add another skyscraper — it was to build a structure that harmonises with its surroundings, making a bold yet graceful statement. ISSOL® Chroma proved that solar technology and architectural vision can enhance each other, not compete.”
Tours Duo — Paris, 13e arrondissement, 2022
Colour, form and solar output — indistinguishable at the façade
