Tours Cœur Défense

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Tours Cœur Défense by Jean-Paul Viguier, 2001
Courbevoie, La Défense
Paris, July 2002

“Cœur Défense is an office skyscraper in La Défense, the high-rise business district west of Paris, France. With 350,000 m2 (3.77 million sq. ft), it is the building with the most floor space in Europe along with the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest. Coeur Défense was built in 2001, replacing the former Esso Tower, the first building of the old generation to be destroyed in La Défense. Cœur Défense is a large complex made of two main bodies connected to one another by a smaller body and seating on a wide basis made of several smaller bodies. The edges of all bodies are rounded. The cladding is white, with large windows. An electronic system monitors white blinds which can be drawn or opened all together at the same time. The two main bodies are 161 m (528 ft) tall each. Both of them are relatively thin as their width is only 24 m (79 ft), and they are out of line with each other, so that sunlight can reach all parts of the building. Lehman Brothers' €2.1bn top-of-the-market purchase of Coeur Défense, was expected to become Europe's largest distressed property sale. Due to falling property values, and the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, the transaction was under stress. The borrower who owns the building, Heart of La Défense, had placed itself under sauvegarde .” (Cœur Défense, Wikipedia)

Le Moretti

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Le Moretti by Raymond Moretti, 1992
Courbevoie, La Défense
Paris, July 2002

“Moretti's vivid imagination was able to express itself freely, transforming a 32-metre air vent into an unusual, colourful artwork. Using 672 fibreglass tubes from 2 to 30 centimetres in diameter, painted in 19 different colours, he covered the entire surface to better underline the volume while maintaining a verticality, offering an insolent and joyful dynamic. In total, the tubes are 22 kilometres long and weigh 27.5 tons! The artwork was created in 1990. The tubes were transported by barge from the manufacturing plant to the location of the chimney and required a total of 2,100 hours of assembly time. It was inaugurated in 1995.” (Le Moretti, Paris La Défense)

Mosaïque

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Mosaïque (Mosaic) by Michel Devern, 1981
Courbevoie, La Défense
Paris, July 2002

“The architect Henri La Fonta, who designed the Les Miroirs building, had already thought of arranging the central space in a design spirit, using cylindrical volumes. Michel Deverne has extended the aestheticism of the ensemble, underlining the ‘plastic effect’ with an imposing 3000 m² mosaic.” (Mosaïque, Paris La Défense)

Tour Kvaerner

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Tour Kvaerner
Courbevoie, La Défense
Paris, July 2002

“The Prisma Tower, formerly the GAN Eurocourtage Tower and then the Kvaerner Tower, is an office skyscraper located in the French business district of La Défense (specifically in Courbevoie). The initial construction of the tower was carried out by Jean Willerval in 1998.” (Tour Prisma, Wikipedia)

Bassin

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Bassin (Basin) by Vassilakis Panayotis, aka Takis, 1988
Puteaux, La Défense
Paris, July 2002

“Takis has imagined an aquatic surface, about 50 metres on each side, on which are placed 49 multicoloured lights of different heights (between 3.50 and 9 metres) that seem to be spring-mounted. Perfectly integrated into the perspective of the historical axis, visible from the Esplanade and from Neuilly, these lights, with their colourful geometric shapes, flash and swing in a playful and enchanting ballet.” (Bassin, Paris La Défense)

Tour Allianz One

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Tour Allianz One by Jean Willerval, 1984
Puteaux, La Défense
Paris, July 2002

“The Allianz One tower, formerly PFA tower then AGF - Athena tower (or simply Athena tower) is an office tower located in the French business district of La Défense (specifically in Puteaux). The tower was built in 1984. It is the work of architects Jean Willerval and Branko Vulic. The tower has successively borne the names of AGF tower and PFA tower. From 2012 to 2015, the tower underwent a very large-scale renovation. During the works, it was known as PB25. Following the completion of the works, in November 2015, the company Allianz Real Estate took possession of the tower, which was then named Allianz One Tower and became the headquarters of the Allianz insurance group.” (Tour Allianz One, Wikipedia)

Vert-Galant

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Square du Vert-Galant
Île de la Cité
Quartier Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois, 1st arrondissement
Paris, July 2002

“The Square du Vert-Galant is a small, triangular park pointing downstream located at the western tip of the Ile de la Cité, next to the Pont Neuf, in the First Arrondissement of Paris. It was created in 1884 by joining two small islands to the larger island. The Square du Vert-Galant earns its name from Henry IV of France, who was nicknamed Vert-Galant (Green Gallant) due to having numerous mistresses despite his advanced age at the time. Additionally, there is the large bronze Equestrian statue of Henry IV overlooking the square, now oxidized to a green hue.” (Square du Vert-Galant, Wikipedia)