Image: Green building leans into the wind

What catches your eye immediately in this design for a new skyscraper in Paris is its poor posture. What you don't see hidden away amid the wispy antenna at the top are the wind turbines that will provide some electrical power for the building's operations. The 990-foot tower, dubbed Phare (French for "Lighthouse"), is also expected to put an emphasis on energy efficiency and to feature a "double-skin facade" to provide natural ventilation.

Due to be completed in 2012, the green-spirited building is intended to be the centerpiece of redevelopment at Paris' La Defense business complex, according to Unibail, a leading property owner at La Defense. Pritzker Prize-winner Thom Mayne, of the architectural firm Morphosis, designed the building.

Photo by Unibail