Philip Chariol Bracelet

Enchanted La Defense - 3rd season - giant with feet of clay ...?

In 1993, La Defense is experiencing its second crisis. It was not until 1997 the rebound, evidenced by the construction of towers Coeur Defense, delivered in 2001 by architect Jean Paul Viguier , then the largest such project built in Europe. Heart Defence consists of two towers (161m high) and three 40-storey buildings of 8 floors.

The two towers, connected as Siamese on their height, are narrow (24 m wide) and rounded at each end.

The chimney plant Edouard Francois (2004)

They are offset with respect to each other, which combined with their narrow width, can easily brighten the office.

The facades are dotted with blinds lowered automatically according to lighting, providing them a wide variety and an original aesthetic .

towers built in 1995 (Michel Andrault, Pierre Parat, Nicolas Ayoub) on behalf of the "Société Générale", measure both 167 meters high (37 floors). The south tower of white stone houses of Chassagne, Chassagne is called and the north tower containing red marble from Alicante, Alicante .

The two towers are separated by forty meters, and both have a strong peak inclined.


Andrault Michel, Nicolas Ayoub, are also the architects of the Aegean towers (40 storeys 1999) and Adria or Technip (40 storeys 1999-2002), with Conceptua.

Pullman Hotel (22 floors) is completed in 2000.

Tower EDF (architects Pei Cobb Freed and Partners), completed in 2001 is 165 meters high, making it one of the tallest towers of La Defense. The plan of the tower is lenticular in its maximum length, the tower measures over 70 feet long while its width does not exceed 32 m.

Extruded from a conical shape of the 26 first floor of the north entrance, the tower is longer at the top than at its base. The northern entrance is also surmounted by a circular canopy of 24 m in diameter. The façade alternates between horizontal bands of steel and glass .


A church on the square ... The Architecture of Our Lady of Pentecost (consecrated in 2001) is special. Designed by architect Frank Hammoutène the heart of La Defense, Our Lady of Pentecost overlooks the highways, giving the impression of being suspended over the void.
She seems to have been made for the site, because its shape is essentially cubic, and it does not adopt the plan or direction to cross the East.

The material used for the main structure is concrete. The church is reported a discreet cross around the entrance. In addition, a facade rises to a height of 35 meters, partly detached from the building, like a steeple. On this concrete wall covered with gray opaque glass windows, two lines of lighter color draw on the full height and full width another cross, as a watermark.

This giant screen, with a thickness of 80 cm, was designed to withstand strong winds that circulate on the square, and is able to bend slightly. It was designed in collaboration with the company Francis Rice Ritchie (RFR). Because of the complex organization of equipment located in the square slab of Defense, the foundations of the building alone accounted for one third of the total cost (we used to 62 cells, some inclined to 20 ° to avoid underground obstacles).


Defense Project 2015, validated by the state in 2006 map for modernizing the business district should help give it a new dimension .. and somewhat Pharaonic, build, by 2015, 300,000 sqm of new office space and 150 000 by the demolition and rebuilding!
The main thrusts are to regenerate towers obsolete, authorize new construction, ensuring the balance offices / homes and facilitate connections with the homes of employees of the Defense .


new towers, T1 Tower (185 meters) and Granite Tower (184 meters) were completed in 2008.
The tower was begun in 2005 Q1 a height of 185 meters 36 floors, is currently the highest Ward towers after Total and First.

the thumb of Caesar (1965) installed in 1994

Designed by the architectural firm Valode Pistre and it has the shape of a sheet folded in half like a sail inflated by the wind.

The south facade of the tower is strictly vertical (to the defense), while the north side façade Courbevoie gradually descends towards ensuring a transition to the lower city .


The prism Tower Granite (December 2008) of 184 m in height (37 floors), signed by the architect Christian de Portzamparc is the first skyscraper (tall building) certified commercial building NF-HQE (high environmental quality).

The tower (far left ...) is the fourth tallest tower defense after the towers First, Total and T1.

Tower Granite addition to the other two towers of the Societe Generale (Chassagne and Alicante), All three are accessible from the same host. Long announced at a height of 230 m, the project was reviewed at the request of the General Society, following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States.


The First Tower, "the former UAP and AXA" designed by architect Pierre Dufau, was built in 1974. High of 159.66 m, the plan takes the form of a three-pointed star, separated by 120 ° from each other starting from a central core, form symbolizing the merger of three insurance companies originally the PSU.

It been since March 2007, on a conception of the British architectural firm Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, a partner with French firm SRA, a massive transformation in both in appearance than its height.

tower renovated (2011) to measure 231 m and become the highest skyscraper in France (in front of the Montparnasse Tower) in 2011 and among the ten highest in Europe .

Some projects have not led by example the "endless tour" in 1990 (Jean Nouvel) for financial reasons

and recently, the construction of the tower Signal "(301 yards, nearly 100 floors, originally scheduled end 2013), architect Jean Nouvel again, has been abandoned, announced in March 2010.

Jean Nouvel has waived its construction!

The first draft Defense 2015, recently completed two thousand employees find these days (July 2010) their new offices of Defense in a tower completely redone, BC 21 ( former GAN tower - see 1st season).

In October 2011 the foundation stone of the tower Carpe Diem, erected in place of the building France Telecom, will be asked.

The Hermitage Plaza project seems close to reaching ...

A new building block: By order dated July 2, 2010, the state creates a new public management across the Territory Defence Seine Arche (EPADESA) that of the Seine to the Seine, brings together the operations of national interest to Defence and Seine-Arche.

To learn more about EPADESA, click!

Time will tell!

Lord Of The Rings Audiobook Unabridged

Kieu Truong Xua * NHO MAY Lam Ngoc Dung (Vietnam)

Lan Chi remains in contact with Lâm Ngọc Dung and regularly sent me this note last week: Dear

Cam Sa
Here Ngọc Dung's poem, written for our promo :

NHO MAI TRUONG Xua

Bon Muoi Remembering the years of separation
school roof,

peaceful memories engraved in their memories. Ngoi
cathedral quietly witnessed many changes

downs in life. Since birds swallow

Tung wings away, wandering all over the sky
, one of the few old school
...
old blue hair, has now faded

At each step time. The heart is suddenly attachment

Age pupil dreams. Want
outstretched arms Hold
old teacher you hope to find a moment

Age of Innocence day.


Lam Ngoc Dung (2010)

Thank Ngoc Dung has sent us this a very touching poem! And thank Lan Chi has passed for all.

Malgre la distance et le temps passé, nous pouvons C'est etonnant comment catch up time and capture the memories through the phone and the Internet and find ourselves in the comfort of our home without going anywhere! But soon we can see or Paris, or Canada or the United States next year, and afterwards too, now that links have been renewed.

Also very good news Hung Canada to strengthen our meeting. With the help of Sun Hong, Hung contacted me and gave a list of old (ADI Lạt) Canada (Quebec) that I did not have before. I hope that our newly found old will also be able to tell us their preference: Angela Yue Huang, Rosine Thu Hien, Minh Tam, My Dung, Christiane Thu Nga. En meme temps que j'apprends Catherine Phuong Mai Phuong et sont en France.

increasingly linking arms out wide! Thank you all!

High Soft Closed Cervix 2 Days Before Af

Enchanted La Defense - 2nd season - the slab and the Grande Arche

The general layout of the neighborhood of Defense has been designed according to the principles of the Modern movement between 1960 and 1980. The organization of space based on a strict separation of flow . The neighborhood is built around a large slab (1978) grouping all pedestrian traffic, while traffic (ring road), deliveries and parking are located on the periphery or in the slab. This is a vast public space (30 acres) dedicated to the exclusive use by pedestrians and emergency vehicles. Oriented axially along the historic and natural terrain, it allows the service areas and buildings of Defense.

Basin Takis farm east end of the slab.

Men of the City (1995) Sitprott

The esplanade is lined with low buildings. It is an avenue planted with plane trees sheltering spaces for rest and recreation.

Three Tree Guy-Rachel Grataloup (1988)

The Moretti (1995 fiberglass) by Raymond Moretti

"Dance" of Shelomo Selinger (1983)
Place of Defense, located at the roundabout of Defense is a place of heavy traffic for pedestrians.
The monumental fountain Yaacov Agam

The square is the space Major major axis, in the heart of the main equipment of the neighborhood are the Grande Arche and the CNIT shopping center of Ember.

It is sometimes funny games!

You've noticed is that correct? Some 60 works of art , frescoes and sculptures often monumental in scale modern living Defense .

After the economic crisis of 1973 and a period of scarcity for Defense the desire for more individual office space and more attractive, brighter on the inside and outside induces the creation of buildings with more and different surfaces, the third generation ones.


"Mirrors" the architect of Henry Fonta (1981), only 16 floors and a large "patio"

Fireplaces Patio Mosaic mirrors Michel Deverne

Sleepwalker (1983) De Miller (1898-1976)

The building Pascal (1983), former IBM tower in Europe, the same architect, two contiguous towers (18 and 28 floors)

and tower has SCOR (1983), Jean Balladur (15 storeys), 60m high, are the same generation.

The biggest shopping center in Europe at that time (100,000 m2), The Four Time , was established in 1981, hotels are opening their doors and we launched the competition in 1982 which led to the Grande Arche.

Characters Joan Miró 1976

In the third generation also Total tower, built in 1985, is the tallest skyscraper in La French defense and the second after the Tour Montparnasse (same architecture) with its 190 m high and 48 floors.

Its architects (architects WZMH, Roger Saubot and François Jullien) were able to account for the mistakes of previous generations towers. Thus, all offices of the tower have "daylight" and it includes proper management of energy savings (insulation glazing, management of energy consumption).

It consists of 3 towers attached to each other. If the highest is 48 storeys, the other two have 37 and 44.


Tower Sequoia (1989, 119m, architects Nicolas Ayoub, Andrault Michel, Pierre Parat), this tower is the first of Defense to have a curved facade "tense" with a straight facade.

It overlooks the circular road and railway line.


La Grande Arche (1983-1989)
EPAD organized in July 1982, a competition to build a building prestigious "International Communication", worthy of the Louvre or the Arc de Triomphe, close to the axis history. The jury will receive 424 projects. It is, cons Surprisingly, the project Johan Otto von Spreckelsen and Danish design engineer Erik Reitzel , which is retained. The Danish architect will refine its project over the three years that follow.

The site is four years. It begins in 1985 and during the summer of 1986 Johann Otto von Spreckelsen asked to be relieved of all obligations concerning the Ark and entrusted the responsibility of architecture to Paul Andreu. The Ark will be inaugurated in July 1989. Von Spreckelsen, died March 16, 1987 (58 years), will not see his work.

is a real technical challenge. This hollow cube almost perfect (108 * 110 * 112 m), is placed slightly askew from the historic axis (6.33 °) which showcases its volume. It is also the angle between the Cour Carree du Louvre and Place de la Concorde.

It is topped with a roof terrace over one hectare weighs more than 30 000 tonnes which is based on two rows of six cells. Concrete used is of high quality (prestressed concrete-based smoke silica, strength and flexibility). The exterior facades, covered with glass plates 5cm thick meditate without blemish and resist strong wind. The cladding consists of 3 acres of white Carrara marble and gray granite. The 87000m2 office can accommodate 2,000 employees on 35 floors.

The " cloud" fiberglass , directed by Paul Andreu and engineer Peter Rice is suspended by a system of rods and hooks to a spider web of ropes steel.

Tower Pacific (1992, 90 ft, 25 floors, Kisho Kurokawa (黒 川 纪 章: Kurokawa Kisho).

this building as the tower Sequoia has a flat front and a curved facade.

The tower was hollow at its center to allow a pedestrian to reach the other side of the tower N314 Kupka (1992 , 19 floors, architects Andrault Michel, Pierre Parat), which could be described of "twin sister" of the Pacific because of the same form.

The Pacific (reflecting in turn kupka ...) in particular has hosted the headquarters of Usinor, Arcelor Mittal today.
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