National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet is facing widespread political backlash over a proposed 50 million euro glass visitor pavilion at the Palais Bourbon in Paris. The controversy flared up again in early August 2026 after the heritage association Sites and Monuments published a video on Monday, August 3, opposing the project.
The video triggered an unlikely coalition of critics spanning the political spectrum, including former Socialist minister Ségolène Royal, rapper JoeyStarr, right-wing politician Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, and former culture minister Rachida Dati. Representatives from both the far-right Rassemblement National and the left-wing party La France Insoumise have also spoken out against the plan.
Braun-Pivet initiated the expansion project in 2023 to address the growing number of visitors coming to the National Assembly. She described the current public reception conditions as deplorable. The initial proposal involves demolishing a 19th-century building adjacent to the iconic colonnade of the Palais Bourbon to make way for a modern glass structure.
Details of the 50 million euro renovation
In addition to the new glass reception hall, the project requires excavating 4,000 square meters of space underground. Public anger surrounding the site first erupted a year ago when the publication of an artificial intelligence generated visual depicting the future entrance sparked protests from the Rassemblement National.
Opposition to the project has intensified across leftist parties as well. Ségolène Royal took to social media to state that the squandering of public money was scandalous and had to cease immediately. She questioned how many air conditioners for schools and hospitals could be bought with the funds, while also condemning an artwork on the assembly facade as a hideous drawing duplicated by artificial intelligence that depicts Marianne as a child.
Rachida Dati, who recently lost the Paris municipal elections, denounced the proposal as an unbearable destruction of heritage. At the same time, far-right political figures continued to criticize the planned 50 million euro structure as a personal caprice by Braun-Pivet.
Regulatory hurdles and building permit withdrawal
The bureau of the National Assembly had unanimously approved the renovation plan in September 2024. However, Braun-Pivet was forced to withdraw the building permit several months later because the building exceeded legal size limits and violated prohibitions against digging under protected spaces.
In mid-July 2026, the Paris City Council voted on an urban planning revision to make the project legally possible. The council's Socialist-led majority, under deputy mayor Emmanuel Grégoire, passed the modification.
Grégoire explained that the revised building fits within dimensions close to those of existing structures and was designed to respect the architectural and heritage characteristics of the site, according to a report by HuffPost. Only elected officials aligned with Rachida Dati and La France Insoumise lawmaker Sophia Chikirou voted against the revision.
Next steps for approval and public petition
Despite the Paris City Council vote, the project has not officially restarted. The council decision merely removed one of the legal obstacles holding up the construction work.
Before Braun-Pivet can submit a new building permit application, the project must obtain approval from the Architecte des Bâtiments de France and the local commission for remarkable heritage sites. Following those reviews, the plan must undergo a formal public inquiry before receiving final authorization from the regional prefect.
The required administrative steps provide additional time for opponents to mobilize against the construction. A petition launched in June 2025 by Sites and Monuments against the disfigurement of Paris by the National Assembly has collected nearly 70,000 signatures so far.
