The Nobel dynamite company had placed the order. At the same time, however, the layout plan began to show its limits. It did not allow for the architectural diversity that would serve to better distinguish the building and in turn tenant companies. Above all, the plan as it was could neither meet demands for large spaces nor provide open spaces conducive to teamwork.
In the early s, France underwent a profound economic transformation and experienced accelerated growth. The service sector grew more and more rapidly. Needs in certain industries increased, particularly the insurance sector. The lives of the 12, employees on the site changed overnight. EPAD drafted another layout plan, bringing the program up to 1. In , the new layout plan was adopted.
The city began to take shape; progress could be seen on the esplanade. The first plane tree was planted. So much so that EPAD studied the possibility of sheering the tall towers that distressed Parisian residents.
Quickly followed by economic crisis, which was perceptible in and confirmed by the first oil shock, the discomfort made it increasingly difficult to sell building rights in From to , no building rights were sold. And yet the overproduction did not necessarily mean that all office space needs had been satisfied. A third generation of office buildings took shape. Their highly original design focused on energy savings and optimizing use, while also facilitating the transition to new, rapidly-evolving office technologies and placing workstations in natural sunlight.
He was a Danish architect. That very day, President Mitterrand decided that it would become the Grande Arche. New features appeared. These additions offered new possibilities for trade shows and exhibitions.
The diversity of the architecture, the real estate and the surface areas and configurations available was henceforth paired with a much wider spectrum of activities. Some felt the idea was too futuristic but it went ahead. It is massive and dominates La Defense district where it was erected. It is more of a cube than an arch but somehow retains the profile and pride of its older counterpart.
The Grande Arche as it is called, is home to many corporation headquarters located in spacious office accommodation in its plank like sides. Climb up the wide steps in front of the Grande Arche and take in the view. It is rather like looking through the telescopic sight of a rifle. The Eiffel Tower seems almost an intrusion penetrating the symmetry of this pristine panorama. The design of La Defense permits an uninterrupted view of this straight, 10 kilometres long architectural spectacle.
Traditional Parisian culture as well as its elegance is preserved at La Defense. At the foot of the Grande Arche there is an open air museum. The sculptures and presentations exhibited are contemporary art forms blending harmoniously with the glistening skyscrapers. La Defense is not exclusively a business and commercial centre; it has a residential population of roughly 25, residents inhabiting modern living space; it is also home to around 45, students engaged in commercial activity.
La Defense makes for an interesting place to wander, covering more than 1. Being so close to the Champs Elsysees — it makes for a convenient base. Skip to content Facebook. The Good Life France. La Defense Paris.
Followed by the first building dedicated only for office spaces in France, the Esso tower delivered in and offering space for employees of the oil and gas corporation. In , the French State approved a master plan drawn up in by EPAD and based on a modernist approach, with the separation of the traffic flows through a large elevated platform with an alignment of equal high-rise buildings on both sides. The platform is composed of a central pedestrian plaza and smaller side spaces, while the underground levels contain the services, roads, parking spaces and technical infrastructure.
The first master plan drawn up in by Camelot, De Mailly and Zehrfuss for the candidature of Paris for the Universal Exhibition of was not based on the elevated plaza or slab concept. It featured a ground-level development structured around the historical axis of Paris. The basic principle of separating traffic flows was adopted later with the concept of an artificial plaza or slab reserved for pedestrians.
This concept required very complex engineering processes with considerable investments, but it suited the different requirements of the site: situated on a historical and communication axis, being a place of dense activities and ensuring the comfort of the people who worked and lived there.
Vialan, M. Held The plan of was modified to accommodate a total area of 1. The third generation towers emerged, less regulated in their forms than those previously built. The Danish architect Johan Otto von Spreckelsen chose the second option with his winning idea of a white Grande Arche opened in its centre as a symbol of openness to the world.
Recent developments. The concept of an elevated horizontal slab, which is situated above the road traffic on ground level, has been used in different urban developments in the Paris metropolitan area. But also in the city of Paris the concept had been applied in the construction of large housing estates, like Front de Seine in 15 th arrondissement the or Les Olympiades in the 13 th arrondissement.
During the following years the concept did not prove its worth in most cases. The spaces under the slab partly became places of insecurity, the access from the natural ground to the slab was problematic and the pedestrian areas often turned into unpleasant open spaces. In the last years most of these urban developments have undergone major transformations, trying to reduce the presence of the slab, to reconnect the natural and the artificial ground and to merge the different traffic flows.
The formerly exclusive dialogue with the central city Paris has turned into a conversation with the multiple local public authorities. The initial urban design is still identifiable and the trademark of the business district. Public spaces have been transformed in multi-functional spaces offering diverse uses to pedestrians. And in a few years the first multi-functional towers of the Russian investor Hermitage might emerge.
But it has to be valued as an urban and architectural experiment with unique constructions and creating a unique urban development.
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