Pain au chocolat Vs chocolatine. Some debates just can’t get anyone to agree. Such seems to be the case with the Tour Occitanie, whose future construction doesn’t please everyone. However, it’s now official: the Conseil d’Etat has finally authorized construction work on the skyscraper, the project for which was unveiled 7 years ago… Construction start date, size of the Tour Occitanie, purpose of the skyscraper… Toulouse Secret tells you all about it.
The Tour Occitanie, Toulouse’s flagship project
This is the winning project in the Gare Matabiau competition. Won by Compagnie de Phalsbourg, this 150-metre-high green tower was designed by architect Daniel Libeskind, the American behind the new World Trade Center, and the Kardham Cardete Huet Architecture agency. Located in the heart of downtown Toulouse, this future project is inspired by the Canal du Midi.
The Tour Occitanie, a city building
The 30,000m², 38-storey Tour Occitanie will feature 11,000 m² of office space, over 100 high-end residential units, a 4-star hotel, 2,000 m² of retail space and 1,500 m² of SNCF premises. The highlight of the show will be the panoramic gourmet restaurants and bars at the top of the Tour Occitanie, offering exceptional views of the whole city.
A divisive project
The skyscraper will stand on the site of Toulouse’s former postal sorting office, close to the Toulouse-Matabiau train station, and will be the first of its kind in the city. However, the project is far from unanimous. So much so, in fact, that proceedings were launched before the Toulouse Administrative Court, attacking – among other things – the building permit for the tower issued in July 2019.
In early November 2024, the appeals lodged by the Toulouse-based association opposing the project were rejected by the Conseil d’Etat. The start of construction on this 180,000 euro project should not be long in coming, as the demolition of the former postal sorting office near Matabiau station is already almost complete… Whether we like it or not!
