French National Assembly revives €50 million glass pavilion amid heritage outcry

The French National Assembly has relaunched a €50 million project to build a new glass pavilion of about 4,000 m² that would replace the 1888 entrance building on the Quai de Seine. The plan, promoted by Assembly president Yaël Braun‑Pivet, is intended to improve the reception of roughly 200,000 annual visitors and to modernise security.

The work was suspended in February after the Paris planning authority blocked excavation beneath the historic courts of the Palais Bourbon. In mid‑July the Council of Paris approved a modification of the 7th‑arrondissement preservation plan, allowing the project to proceed. The decision has reignited criticism from heritage groups, notably the association Sites & Monuments, which has gathered more than 70,000 petition signatures. Politicians such as Ségolène Royal and Rachida Dati, as well as public figures like rapper Joey Starr, have denounced the design as an “incongruous glass block” and a misuse of public money.

Supporters argue the pavilion will provide a functional, contemporary entrance for the public, and the Assembly says the €50 million cost will be covered entirely from its own budget without additional state funding. The controversy continues to dominate French political and cultural debate.