Figure Figure - Akhil Mathew & Adam Wells

Figure Figure Akhil Mathew & Adam Wells

Figure Figure Antidote to the Contemporary City

Akhil Mathew

Adam Wells

CONTENTS .

CHAPTER I .

CITY AS AMUSEMENT PARK,

1

CHAPTER II .

THE ANTIDOTE TO THE CONTEMPORARY CITY,

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CHAPTER III .

UTOPIA INDEX,

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CHAPTER IV .

THE FIGURE FIGURE CITY,

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CHAPTER V .

FIGURE FIGURE CITY ARCHITECTURE,

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CHAPTER I CITY AS AMUSEMENT PARK

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Paris FRANCE

“The push for tourists has left a lack of taste and sohpistication. Anne Hidalgo (Mayor of Paris) and her push to encourage mass tourism has turned parts of Paris into factories.”

-The Local, October 3, 2017

“France is being “flooded” with cocaine as dozens of drug ‘mules’ arive daily in Paris...”

-The Telegraph, June 9, 2018

“Paris Can’t Breathe: Worst Pollution In A Decade Has City Gasping For Solutions” -Forbes, December 12, 2016

“Paris’ homeless population has risen by 84 percent in 10 years.”

-Al Jazeera, January 23, 2015

“Despite being one of the world’s wealthiest nations, France has a shocking 16,000 people living in more than 570 squalid slums across the country. The race is on to clear them out but critics say no solution is in place.”

- The Local, October 20, 2017

“The most obvious social and economic evidence that something is amiss is unemployment. About three million people are unemployed - 10.2% of the workforce.”

-BBC, April 29, 2016

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“The show begins with the facade of the Palais Garnier, one of the city’s most iconic buildings.”

“Built by Le Corbusier, La Roche reflects the architecture of the 1920’s and has been registered as a listed monument since 1996.”

“Standing 324 metres tall, the Eiffel Tower is not only the symobl of a capital but of an entire country.”

Parc de la Villette

Sacré-Coeur

Arc de Triomphe Palais Garnier

Centre Pompidou Grand Palais

Notre Dame Cathedral Opéra Bastille

Louvre Museum

Eiffel Tower

Pantheon

Villa Roche Catacombs of Paris

“From the Arc de Triomphe’s terrace-roof, you can enjoy a breathtaking panoramic view of the French capital.”

“The Panthéon’s iconic silhouette and dome is perched at the top of Montagne Sainte-Geneviéve.”

“In the Catacombes de Paris, six million bones from various Parisian cemeteries rest in the 1.7 km labyrinth of tunnels.”

“The cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, a jewel of Gothic architecture, is France’s most visited monument.”

“The Centre Pompidou, designed by Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, is a striking 20th-century landmark.”

“Every trip to the capital deserves a visit to the Louvre to discover the wealth and trasures it contains.”

“The Opéra Bastille, designed by Carlos Ott, is a great contemporary theatre.”

“Designed by the architect Bernard Tschumi, The Parc de la Villette is the largest urban cultural park in the capital”

“The Sacré-Coeur basillica, consecrated in 1919, is one of Paris’s most iconic landmarks.”

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New York UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

“New York Ranked Dirtiest City in America in New Report” -WNEP, February 22, 2018

“The Awful Decline of New York City Subway System: The aging infrastructure was already terrible. Overcrowding made things much, much worse.”

-The Atlantic, July 13, 2017

“Affordable housing is vanishing as landlords exploit a broken system, pushing out rent-regulated tenants and catapulting apartments into the free market” -New York Times, May 20, 2018

“The Number Of Homeless Children Has Hit A Record High In NYC Schools: Roughly 1 in 10 children attending the city’s public schools are homeless, acording to new data.”

-Huffington Post, October 15, 2018

“This summer, New York has endless waits on sweltering, packed subway platforms, where frustrated riders occasionally slug it out; public housing projects contaminated with lead paint, mold and the smell of urine; and housing prices that drive the poor into the street.”

-USA Today, August 2, 2018

“Housing prices in New York are more than three-times the national median home price of $278,900 and almost twice the national median rent of $1,695.”

-CNBC, Septermber 8, 2018

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“Housed in one of the most iconic buildings in New York, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s collection is filled with prized pieces.”

Apollo Theater

Columbia University

“The Chrysler buidling was completed in 1930. This gleaming building pays homage to the automobile.”

Central Park

Guggenheim Museum

550 Madison Avenue

“The World Trade Center Transportation Hub is centered around a stunning, cathedral-like oval known as the Oculus.”

“Madison Square Garden, The World's Most Famous Arena.”

Chrysler Building

St. Patrick's Cathedral

Hearst Tower

“The Empire State Building is one of the world’s most famous skyscrapers.”

Times Square

“Columbia University is New York City's claim to Ivy League fame.”

Empire State Building

Madison Square Garden

Flatiron Building “550 Madison Avenue is an iconic postmodern 647-foot-tall, 37-story highrise skyscraper”

“The High Line has been repurposed into one of the City’s most unusual, inventive and popular green spaces.”

High Line One World Trade Center

“St. Patrick's Cathedral holds its own among Midtown's tall buildings and historic architecture, its twin spires jutting 330 feet up toward the heavens.”

56 Leonard

“One World Trade Center is a 104-story, 1,776 foot-tall building, the Western hemisphere’s tallest skyscraper (and the fourth tallest in the world).”

Statue of Liberty

World Trade Center Transportation Hub

“The Statue of Liberty is among New York City's—and America's—most familiar landmarks.”

5

London UNITED KINGDOM

“Number of homeless people sleeping on streets in England hits highest level on record: More than 4,500 people were recorded as sleeping rough on any given night in autumn last year – a figure that has more than doubled since 2010.”

-Independent, January 25, 2018

“There have been 89 violent deaths in London since January and violent crime has risen by 40% since 2010.”

-BBC, August 16, 2018

“Too dirty to breathe: can London clean up its toxic air?: Air pollution leaves many Londoners like Catherine Bazell housebound, and as the severe impacts on health become clearer the call for greater action is rising.”

-The Guardian, August 28, 2018

“Many Londoners struggle to get by, live in overcrowded properties and in unsuitable conditions. Home ownership isn’t even a distant possibility for many.””

-Verdict, April 11, 2018

“A report called "Rat Land" by London Assembly member Susan Hall has found that the capital's rodent population is on the rise. Local authorities and pest control firms in London received over 186,000 complaints relating to rodents over the past five years.

That’s more than 100 per day, and the problem is getting worse.”

-ITV, November 30, 2017

“Teenage suicides in London rise by 107% - more than four times national rate, new figures reveal.”

-The Independent, June 7, 2018

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Barbican

King’s Cross

Barbican

King’s Cross

The Gherkin

British Museum

Traflagar Square

St. Paul’s

Llyod’s Building

St. Paul’s

Llyod’s Building

British Museum Big Ben

Hyde Park Queen’s Tower

Traflagar Square

The Gherkin

City Hall

Big Ben City Hall

Hyde Park Queen’s Tower

Tate Modern Tower Bridge LondonTate EyeModern The Shard

Buckingham Palace

Tower Bridge Natural History Museum

Buckingham Palace

Natural History Museum

Westminster Abbey

London Eye

The Shard

Westminster Abbey

“The view is the premium visitor attraction at the top of Western Europe's tallest building, The Shard.”

“The Barbican in London is Europe's largest arts centre all under one roof.”

“Book your visit to Buckingham Palace for a glimpse inside one of the few working royal palaces remaining in the world today.”

“The Gherkin: Get up close to one of the City of London's most recognisable pieces of architecture.

“The internationally-renowned Lloyd’s building was designed by the architect Richard Rogers.”

“The Houses of Parliament and Elizabeth Tower, commonly called Big Ben, are among London's most iconic landmarks.”

“Admire City Hall, designed by leading British architecture firm Foster and Partners.”

“The Coca-Cola London Eye is centrally located in the heart of the capital, gracefully rotating over the River Thames.”

“Step into St Paul's Cathedral and enjoy the cathedral's awe-inspiring interior.”

“King's Cross Station is a major railway and underground station in London.”

“Founded in 1753, the British Museum’s remarkable collection spans over two million years of human history.”

“This summer sees a major part of the Museum’s transformation into a Natural History Museum for the future.”

“Tower Bridge is one of London's famous bridges and one of many must-see landmarks in London.”

“A visit to London isn't complete without a trip to Tate Modern.”

“Westminster Abbey is a must-see living pageant of British history.”

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CHAPTER II THE ANTIDOTE TO THE CONTEMPORARY CITY

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Figure Figure

Currently we see a schism between the everyday life of inhabitants of cities and the tourists that come to experience the city.

Architecturally significant buildings become places for tourists to visit, spend money, and leave. The contemporary city is an amusement park. The rest of the city operates as merely a backdrop of restaurants, hotels and, mechanical systems, essentially back of house contributing to the tourist experience.

The majority of people in the city, the long term residents, rarely come in contact with great architecture. Apartments, shops, places of work, gas stations, bathrooms highly trafficked places usually are completely lacking in architectural thinking and sophistication.

We want to create a new society where every place is architecturally significant. This city would abolish the concept of tourism as we currently understand it. The role of architecture for the inhabitant and tourist would be equalized, fixing the rift between the mundane life of citizens and the short-lived experience offered from tourism. Chambord becomes the perfect site for our new society.

In 1685 Louis XV abandoned the chateau,

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concentrating his efforts on constructing the Palace of Versailles. We wonder what would have become of Chambord if Louis had decided to stay and develop the chateau with the same vision? 300 years later we can reexamine what that would mean, building our utopia on the unfinished project of Chambord. We look to Piranesi’s Campo Marzio as an ideal reference for this. Piranesi reimagines Rome as a city of pure architecture.

Moving away from Noli’s figure ground diagram, where the architecture is carved from the urban fabric, Piranesi creates a plan of Rome as a figure figure diagram where there is only architecture and nothing else.

Peter Eisenman in 2012 was in charge of an exhibition titled “Piranesi Variations” tagged as a re-understanding of the Campo Marzio.

When talking about the Campo Marzio he says, “This was an imposition by Piranesi to change the social structure of Rome. The form of this project invents a new social structure not the reverse, the typical would be, “Let’s take the social structure and give it form” Instead, let’s give it form and find the social structure that evolves out of it.” Through design and architecture, the society will be formed.

Without the economic and bureaucratic regulations in place currently producing city

the history of Utopias as a ground for ruins and landmarks that can be reconstructed and reinterpreted. Without the landscape of Rome to work with as Piranesi had, we must create our own foundation for this city.

As the extrusion of the chateau separates the known world from the city above, 500 years of utopian forms and organizations are layered to create the landscape for our figure figure utopia. This same index, along with the towers currently existing on the roof of the chateau, become a perfect starting point for the formal development of the city. Koolhaas in Delerious New York perfectly describes the way we see the chateau roof. When discussing Luna Park, an amusement park in Coney Island boasting an incredible skyline of 1,200 towers, Koolhass says, “[The towers] create an architectural spectacle out of the drama of their frenzied scramble for individuality and to identify this battle of the spires as the definitive sign of otherworldliness, the mark of another condition. The forest of towers, instead of Coney Island’s virgin nature, now provides an antidote to the grimness of the city.”. We want to utilize and heighten these otherworldly qualities that currently exist in Chambord to provide the antidote to the contemporary city.

organizations and building form, our city can build first without a prescribed program.

Everywhere becomes a significant part of the city to live and experience, no rich and poor areas, no districts. Far away from the strict regulations of the contemporary city, Chambord’s abundant land and unfinished chateau become the initial building blocks for the new city.

We’ve always understood the chateau as a building in three parts. A large plinth functioning as the main portion of the castle.

On top of this extrusion sits a new ground with a pitched roofscape. This new ground is then populated by a series of towers creating a half-built city on top of the chateau. This organization along with the unfinished nature of the project is highly reminiscent of early 19th century Manhattan. A partially built city on a defined strip of land becomes organized by economic interests and is gridded for future expansion. Instead of the grid, our city will use the figure figure model of Piranesi as our organizational principle. We know the Campo Marzio was an assemblage of Roman ruins and landmarks that Piranesi used to reimagine Rome. In this vein we understand

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CHAPTER III UTOPIA INDEX

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1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

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16

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10

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14

15

18

14

19

20

21

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24

27

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25

28

26

29

30

31

32

33

34

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41

42

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CHAPTER IV THE FIGURE FIGURE CITY

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Current Chateau de Chambord

Chateau de Chambord Expansion

Figure Figure Map

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Figure Figure City

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Chateau de Chambord

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Figure Figure City

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CHAPTER V FIGURE FIGURE CITY ARCHITECTURE

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la Tour de Tribut North Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

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le Pylône de la Crique Sauvage South Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

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le Pylône d'Exposition South & South-East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

26

la Tour d'Arc-en-Ciel

North Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

27

la Tour du Désert Enragé East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

28

la Tour de Parenté West Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

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la Tour de Sérénité East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

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la Tour de la Grotte East Elevation

Top View

Figure Figure

M&W

31

la Tour d'Unisson North & North-West Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

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la Tour d'Univers West Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

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"The project started from the notion of an architecture that invents its own site and program."

- Eisenman Architects, Cannaregio Town Square 1978

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"[The towers] create an architectural spectacle out of the drama of their frenzied scramble for individuality" - Rem Koolhaas, Delirious New York

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le Pylône de Réunion North Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

36

la Tour de Concorde North & North-East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

37

la Tour de Pureté West Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

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le Pylône de Patience South & South-West Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

39

la Colonne de Liberté North Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

40

Tour de Méduse West Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

41

la Colonne du Pinacle South Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

42

la Tour de Phénix West Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

43

la Tour d'Infini West Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

44

le Pylône Central South Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

45

la Tour du Sommet North Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

46

la Tour d'Obsidienne East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

47

“...identify this battle of the spires as the definitive sign of otherworldliness, the mark of another condition.”

- Rem Koolhaas, Delirious New York

48

"The form of this project invents a new social structure not the reverse, the typical would be, “Let’s take the social structure and give it form” Instead, let’s give it form and find the social structure that evolves out of it."

- Peter Eisenman Discussing Piranesi’s Campo Marzio

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la Tour du Coeur South Elevation

Top View

Figure Figure

M&W

50

le Pilier d'Harmonie West Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

51

la Colonne de l'Île d'Acier East Elevation

Top View

Figure Figure

M&W

52

le Pylône d'Orchestre East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

53

le Pylône Divin North, East & South Elevation

Top View

Figure Figure

M&W

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le Obélisque d'Essence East & South Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

55

la Tour de la Crête Grise North Elevation

Top View

Figure Figure

M&W

56

la Tour du Terrain de l'Ouest East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

57

la Tour d'Onyx South Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

58

la Tour d'Espace West Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

59

la Tour de Vieillissement South & South-West Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

60

la Tour de Velours North Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

61

la Tour de Pâturage North, South & West Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

62

la Tour d'Époque East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

63

"The forest of towers, instead of Coney Island’s virgin nature, now provides an antidote to the grimness of the city."

- Rem Koolhaas, Delirious New York

64

"A new society where everyplace is architecturally significant."

65

la Tour de Réincarnation North and North-West Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

66

la Tour du Fleuve de Pendule West Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

67

la Tour d'Or East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

68

la Tour de Rajeunissement East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

69

le Pilier de la Prairie de Cendre South Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

70

la tour des immortels North Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

71

la Tour de Célébration East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

72

la Tour de Fusion East & North-East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

73

la Colonne de Fortune South & South-East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

74

la Tour de Vision North Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

75

la Tour d'Observation East & South-East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

76

la Tour du Territoire de la Jumelle North Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

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la Tour de la Corruption East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

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la Tour de Diamant North & North-East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

79

la Colonne de Pèlerinage East & North-East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

80

la Tour de Jugement West Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

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"The role of architecture for the inhabitant and tourist is equal, fixing the rift between the mundane life of citizens and the short-lived experience offered from tourism."

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"Through design and architecture, the society will be formed."

83

la Tour de Victoire West Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

84

la Tour d'Existence South Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

85

la Tour de la Montagne de Venin North Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

86

la Tour de Paradis East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

87

la tour électrique West Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

88

la Colonne de Lumière des Étoiles South Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

89

Tour d'ours East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

90

Tour d'été North Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

91

la Tour de Prestige East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

92

la Tour du Jardin South Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

93

le Pilier du Mirage North Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

94

la Tour Parallèle North Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

95

la Tour de la Rose East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

96

la Tour de Fermeté South Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

97

le Pilier de Triomphe South Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

98

la Tour Nuageux West Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

99

la Tour de Piété North & North-East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

100

la Tour Squelettes East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

101

la Colonne de la Trinité East Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

102

la Tour de Fantômes North Elevation

Top View

M&W

Figure Figure

103

104

Tower Index

le Pylône Central la Tour du Coeur la Colonne de l'Île d'Acier la Tour de la Rose la Tour d'Arc-en-Ciel la Tour d'Époque la Tour d'Espace le Obélisque d'Essence la Tour d'été la Tour d'Existence le Pylône d'Exposition le Pilier d'Harmonie la Tour d'Infini la Tour d'Observation la Tour d'Obsidienne la Tour d'Onyx la Tour d'Or le Pylône d'Orchestre le Tour d'ours la Tour d'Unisson la Tour d'Univers la Tour de Célébration le Pilier de la Prairie de Cendre la Tour de Fantômes la Tour de Concorde la Tour de Diamant la Tour de Fermeté la Colonne de Fortune la Tour de Fusion la Tour de Jugement la Tour du Terrain de l'Ouest la Tour de la Corruption la Tour de la Grotte la Tour du Territoire de la Jumelle la Colonne de la Trinité la Colonne de Liberté

45 50 52 96 27 63 59 55 91 85 26 51 44 76 47 58 68 53 90 32 33 72 70 103 37 79 97 74 73 81 57 78 31 77 102 40

Tour de Méduse la Tour de Paradis la Tour de Parenté le Pylône de Patience la Tour de Pâturage la Colonne de Pèlerinage la Tour du Fleuve de Pendule la Tour de Phénix la Tour de Piété la Tour de Prestige la Tour de Pureté la Tour de Rajeunissement la Tour de Réincarnation le Pylône de Réunion la Tour de Sérénité la Tour de Tribut le Pilier de Triomphe la Tour de Velours la Tour de la Montagne de Venin la Tour de Victoire la Tour de Vieillissement la Tour de Vision le Pylône Divin la tour électriqu la Tour du Désert Enragé la Colonne de Lumière des Étoiles la Tour de la Crête Grise la tour des immortels la Tour du Jardin le Pilier du Mirage la Tour Nuageux la Tour Parallèle la Colonne du Pinacle le Pylône de la Crique Sauvage la Tour du Sommet la Tour Squelettes

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41 87 29 39 62 80 67 43 100 92 38 69 66 36 30 24 98 61 86 84 60 75 54 88 28 89 56 71 93 94 99 95 42 25 46 101