Asbestos to Be Removed from Skyscraper

December 19, 2006 - A French newspaper reports that the co-owners of a 58-story Paris skyscraper will spend in excess of $144 million (about 110 million Euro) to totally remove asbestos from the building.

The owners of Tour-Montparnasse have already begun the process, which is expected to take until 2009 to complete.  The skyscraper is the tallest and one of the most visited in the city, having attracted more than a half-million visitors in 2005.

”Asbestos removal and modernization of the building will cost about €110 ($144.01 million), paid by the tower's co-owners, which are for the most part institutional investors," said the tower's management company, l'Ensemble Immobilier Tour Maine-Montparnasse, in a statement. The company said the decision came after a year of technical assessment.

Most of the asbestos was found in certain parts of the tower’s false ceilings, a spokesperson reports.  While it is mandatory that the co-owners remove the asbestos from the complex’s level 3, they have chosen to also remove the material from levels 1 and 2. 

"Removal is done floor-by-floor, with no occupants present. The panoramic restaurant on the 56th floor will not be affected," said a statement issued by the management company.