^^ This is picture is not new, it is over one year old.

La Defense projects by CyberArchi information siteweb.

http://www.cyberarchi.com/images/articles/12257_15_z.jpg
http://www.cyberarchi.com/dossier/tours-du-monde/index.php?dossier=72&article=12257

^^^^

All very nice...but.

How much of all this render en maqeutte buildings will be build???

If all these are built, they need more projects on the other side of l'esplanade! But at the moment i just hope they build Generali, it's the best looking of the projects=)

Another render of the 323m (1,060ft) Hermitage Towers posted by the French forumer Krapulax:

http://grrroux.free.fr/misc/hp_contre.jpg

New renders of the Hermitage Towers in a PDF published by the Hermitage Group:

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/2535/herm.png

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/5639/herm1.png

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/685/herm7.png

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/4416/herm2.png

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/1204/herm3.png

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/8195/herm4.png

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/3261/herm5.png

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/3503/herm6.png

These are very interesting proposals. I don't get why some people don't like them so much. La Defense is a SKYSCRAPER DISTRICT! Complaining about ruining views of it with more skyscrapers are silly. I can kind of understand if people don't like the designs (though I personally do), but the idea of them 'being in the wrong place' or 'ruining views' is not a very good argument when talking about a place like La Defense.

It's basically like saying "Don't build a 300m tower in Canary Wharf! It'll ruin the views!":lol:

They will look great. when those towers will open?

They will look great. when those towers will open?
The towers are supposed to open in 2014. Hermitage Group say they already have secured financing for the project. They will officially ask for a building permit in June or September at the latest, and the building permit should be issued in the middle of the 2010 according to the director of La Défense Authority (EPAD). Hermitage's main issue at the moment is the tenants who live in the building which is to be destroyed to make way for the towers. These tenants (there are no homeowners in the building to be destroyed, only tenants) haven't vacated the building yet (except for a few of them), and some of them oppose their relocation.

New renders of the Hermitage Towers in a PDF published by the Hermitage Group:

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/2535/herm.png

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/5639/herm1.png

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/685/herm7.png

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/4416/herm2.png

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/1204/herm3.png

http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/8195/herm4.png

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/3261/herm5.png

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/3503/herm6.png

Beautiful. :)

That can really stop the project, we had a simular problem in Norway, a new highrise-project died out because they didn't want their home teared down, even when the developper offered them new appartments in the tower.....

a new highrise-project died out because they didn't want their home teared down
Were they homeowners or only tenants?

Detailed render showing the top of the 240m (787ft) New Axa Tower under (re)construction at La Défense, as well as a cladding element that will go on top of the tower. The New Axa Tower will be completed next year, and it will temporarily become the tallest skyscraper in Paris, taller than the Montparnasse Tower.

They should start putting the new cladding on in May this year, and the tower should reach its final height by this summer (2009). :banana:

http://moiangelius.free.fr/detail_clad_first.jpg

Starchitect Jean Nouvel's project for the Vélizy business district. I've marked a few places on the picture for orientation.

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/6972/79483866.png

Jean Nouvel's project to beautify the Chinatown towers in the 13th arrondissement.

Chinatown towers now:
http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/9961/tours.png

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/3621/olympiadessoir4sec.jpg

Chinatown towers after Nouvelization:
http://www.archiportale.com/immagini/FileProgetto/immaginigrandi/18039_13.jpg

http://photo.parismatch.com/media/photos2/3.-photos-culture/arts/olympiades-avant-apres/545779-1-fre-FR/3-photos-culture-arts-Olympiades-avant-apres_articlephoto.jpg

Starchitect Jean Nouvel's project for the Vélizy business district. I've marked a few places on the picture for orientation.

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/6972/79483866.png

Is this a serious project? Seems really good stuff.

No it is a vision.
Skyscraper in Velizy why not ? Anyway without subway or RER it is really not possible.
Velizy is a business center in southwestern outer suburbs planned in the 1960's 1970's with a southern extention of the line 13. Unfortunely no subway was build. The closest metro station Chatillon Montrouge (M13) is 7 km away.
The business distrct grew and still grow without any mass transportation.
Nowaday there is no metro or RER project to serve this district, only a tram line is under in construction.
Not enouth for the 60,000 jobs and the 100,000m² of Velizy 2 shopping mall.
Velizy is also too far of the center for big skyscrapers, midrises would be better here.

Val de Seine business district in southwesterh Paris (Southwestern 15th arrondissement, Issy les Moulineaux, and Boulogne Billancourt) is a way better.

Jean Nouvel already struck La Defense, and now he's gonna strike the 13th Arrondissement? Is this really going to happen? Because there is a 12-story building under construction and an approved 13-story building. And I don't know about Velizy.

I agree that the 13th arrondissement need more high-rises, there is a project of 4 100m to 150m high-rises in Massena (Paris rive gauche redevelopment area)

I would also love to see a Beijing tower in Olympiade, in this district tower have the name of olympic cities.
(Tokyo, Londres London, Mexico, Oslo, Sapporo...) at this time in the 1970's Beijing didn't have the olympic game.
Olympiade is a part of Paris main chinatown and I think that a modern Beijing tower would be very popular.
Obviously it is should be the tallest tower in the district.

i found these on nationalgeographic.com

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/04/photogalleries/green-future-paris/images/primary/090417-01-green-paris_big.jpg

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/04/photogalleries/green-future-paris/images/primary/090417-02-green-paris_big.jpg

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/04/photogalleries/green-future-paris/images/primary/090417-03-green-paris_big.jpg

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/04/photogalleries/green-future-paris/images/primary/090417-04-green-paris_big.jpg

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/04/photogalleries/green-future-paris/images/primary/090417-05-green-paris_big.jpg

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/04/photogalleries/green-future-paris/images/primary/090417-06-green-paris_big.jpg

EDIT

According to Le Figaro, on Wednesday next week the French president will make some very big announcements concerning the development of Paris public transports. These will be the most important announcements concerning the Paris Métro and RER network since the 1960s (when the Pompidou government announced it would build the RER network). So we're in for a once-in-a-generation expansion of the Métro and RER network, despite the economic crisis and budget deficit!

Specifically, the president should announce the construction of a giant 140 km (90 miles) loop of fast subway circling around Central Paris and linking major business areas and scientific campuses in the inner and outer suburbs. This subway will be entirely underground to avoid lengthy public inquiry requirements (building overground would make launching a lengthy public inquiry process mandatory according to French law, whereas building underground is more expensive but also much quicker, without the legal delays of building overground). This giant subway will be entirely automatic (like line 14 of the Paris Métro), with no drivers, and should run 24 hours a day. It will be managed by a private company and not by the RATP which manages the Paris Métro. The goal I suppose is to make it grève-free (no stoppages even on general strike days, which is already the case for line 14 of the Métro).

This subway will run faster than the Paris Métro, with only 60 stations along its 140 kilometers. The president wishes to have it built in as little as 10 years, so several tunnel boring machines will work simultaneously to bore the 140 km of tunnels in just a few years. The price tag for this giant subway line is 14 billion euros (18.5 billion US dollars).

http://www.lefigaro.fr/medias/2009/04/25/6f0d53fc-3118-11de-bb08-d38715bb68a6.jpg
The Secretary of State for the Development of the Paris Capital Region, who is behind the president's giant loop project. He's the guy who restored peace in New Caledonia in 1988, and who then became the CEO of the RATP and later Air France which he saved from bankruptcy in 1994. Note the "Grand Paris" ("Greater Paris") name behind him, a name that was taboo until just a few years ago.

Other projects to be announced on Wednesday include the extension of the RER line E from Haussmann-St Lazare to La Défense via a new tunnel to be bored deep underground; the renovation of the RER lines B, C, and D, notably the modernization of the RER stations, the replacement of the RER trains, and an increase in the RER frequency; a general repair and replacement of rail tracks and line equipment throughout Greater Paris to improve the quality of service and decrease incidents that stop RER and suburban trains every day.

In total, all the Paris public transportation projects to be announced on Wednesday should cost 20 billion euros (26.5 billion US dollars). This is comparable to the cost of Crossrail in London (15.9 billion pounds/17.6 billion euros).

On top of the these, the Greater Paris region has also planed the extension of line 14 of the Métro towards the north, the replacement of all the Métro carriages by 2020 (starting with line 1 in 2011 which will become entirely automatic like line 14), and the replacement of all single-deck trains on RER line A with double-decker trains to alleviate congestion during rush hours. The project of a circular subway line around Central Paris, called Métrophérique, is also planned by the region, but it could conflict with the giant loop to be announced by the French president on Wednesday, so I don't know if Métrophérique (which should cost up to 10 billion euros) is still on the agenda. In my opinion they should build both Métrophérique and the president's giant loop.

More details on Wednesday. Stay tuned!

For those who understand French, there was a program this morning on France Culture radio about Greater Paris. Some leading architects explained their urban vision of a Greater Paris. You can listen to the program here: http://www.radiofrance.fr/chaines/france-culture2/emissions/vivre_ville/

The week before, they had invited local politicians who had failed to agree on their vision of a political Greater Paris. You can listen to it here: http://www.radiofrance.fr/chaines/france-culture2/emissions/vivre_ville/fiche.php?diffusion_id=71937

The local council of Neuilly-sur-Neuilly, in partnership with the City of Paris administration, has proposed a complete transformation of the avenue linking La Défense to the historical heart of Paris. The A14 motorway, which currently runs on the 10-lane avenue, thus generating a very intense traffic and acting as a barrier in the Paris urban fabric, would be buried in a tunnel to be dug under the avenue. The avenue would then be transformed from the current motorway-like craze into a real urban avenue (a bit like the Champs-Elysées), with enlarged sidewalks and less traffic than today.

The huge and empty square and big roundabout at Porte Maillot, on the 1860 administrative border between the City of Paris and Neuilly-sur-Seine, which is another barrier in the Paris urban fabric, would be also totally transformed. The big roundabout would be removed, and a real avenue lined with buildings would be constructed. Several blocks of buildings would be built to fill the large empty space, in order to somehow "weld" the urban fabric of the City of Paris and Neuilly-sur-Seine. In particular, the 8-lane Périphérique motorway, which runs along the border of the City of Paris, would be covered around the Porte Maillot, and buildings built over it, so people would cross the Périphérique (and the border of the City of Paris) without even realizing it. Some towers could also be built facing the tower of the exhibition center at Porte Maillot (the City of Paris administration is apparently keen on that).

Here is a view of the transformed avenue linking La Défense (in the background) to the historical heart of Paris (in the back of the photographer). Notice the two towers that could be built at Porte Maillot, to the left of the avenue in the middle ground, facing the tower of the Porte Maillot exhibition center (the tower most to the right). These towers would be much more visible from the Champs-Elysées than the more distant towers of La Défense.
http://grandparis.free.fr/axe13-1.jpg

A closer view of Porte Maillot, showing how it would be transformed (huge empty space filled with buildings and an avenue replacing the big empty roundabout). The historical heart of Paris is beyond the Arc de Triomphe in the background. La Défense is in the back of the photographer. You can see the covered Périphérique motorway in the foreground, with blocks of building built over it.
http://grandparis.free.fr/axe13-3.jpg

For comparison, this is the Porte Maillot today. A huge empty space that is a physical barrier in the Paris urban fabric. A bit like Potsdamer Platz in Berlin after they tore down the Berlin Wall in 1989.
http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/6228/maillot.png

I remember they talked about this idea of a buried A14, however since there weren't any news for years I thought this was a dead idea.

I thought this was a dead idea.
Apparently not. The City of Paris is now supporting it too. The new mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine has manoeuvred well. And the French president is in favor of it anyway, so the prefect of Île-de-France (Greater Paris), who represents the French state, has never stopped working on the issue these past two years.

Pictures showing the heightening of Axa Tower in the past weeks:
http://www.ladefense.fr/viewtravauxencours.php

A map showing the giant loop of the French president (in red) and the Métrophérique of the Greater Paris region (in black, also known as Arc Express). See post #2021 above for more details.

http://img512.imageshack.us/img512/1969/4948311.jpg

Hermitage towers is taller than tour eiffel?

Not if you include Eiffel Tower's antennas, but the structure itself are tallers yeah.

The best account in the English-speaking press of Nicolas Sarkozy's speech and announcements yesterday can be found in The Independent. All the other English-language newspapers (essentially British in fact) that talked about it were full of clichés, simplifications, cheap jokes, and misunderstandings, but The Independent has a very good correspondent in Paris who wrote a very decent and factual article. Here it is. It sums up Sarkozy's announcements better than I could do.
Sarko's €35bn rail plan for a 'Greater Paris'

A driverless, 24-hour, regional metro system, in the shape of a giant figure eight, will connect Paris to its troubled suburbs by the year 2020, President Nicolas Sarkozy announced today.

By John Lichfield in Paris
The Independent
Wednesday, 29 April 2009

M. Sarkozy promised a recession-busting, €35bn investment in new and existing rapid transit systems to help to create a single "Greater Paris" from a jumbled conurbation of 12,000,000 people in the space of 10 years.

"The economic crisis can only be beaten by grand projects," M. Sarkozy said. "There could be no grander project than to create a Greater Paris."

In a speech inaugurating an exhibition of ten architects' visions for a "Grand Paris", President Sarkozy also promised a drive to create a million jobs in the Paris area over 20 years and to build 70,000 homes a year in the capital and its suburbs. He called for a brand new underground station for high-speed, long distance trains at La Défense, just west of the city proper, and the plantation of a new forest near Charles de Gaulle airport to absorb carbon emissions.

There would also be a need, he said, for new "monuments" to rival the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe. These would be constructed outside the present city boundary to create the image of a single, dynamic, greener and larger "Paris for the 21st century".

To the disappointment of some, and delight of others, M. Sarkozy side-stepped the anguished question of whether to establish a new political entity for a "Greater Paris", to match Greater London. He said that he wanted to create a "project" for the whole of the Paris area without becoming bogged down in political arguments.

Critics doubt whether a de facto Greater Paris can be achieved without an agreement on eroding the administrative boundaries between the city of Paris (pop 2,000,000) and its surrounding suburbs. President Sarkozy's suggestion yesterday that planning laws should be relaxed to allow the rapid building of new railways, homes and tower blocks also aroused deep suspicions.

The political and economic barriers and poor transport links between Paris and its "banlieues" contributed to the alienation and deprivation which fuelled the suburban riots of November 2005. The British architect Richard Rogers says that he knows "of no other large city in which the heart is so detached from the limbs".

Lord Rogers' team was one of ten invited by M. Sarkozy to put forward suggestions for the development of a "Grand Paris" for the 21st century. The ideas will be on display at the Grand Palais, off the Champs Elysées, from tomorrow.

In his speech opening the exhibition, President Sarkozy promised a ten year programme, starting in 2010 or 2011, to improve rail links between Paris and its two airports and hundreds of satellite towns. He offered Euros 21bn for the "Big Eight": a 130 kilometres (80 miles), driverless, 24-hour metro system in the form of two large loops, joining across the centre of the city.

The northern loop would have a branch to Charles de Gaulle airport and would also – with heavy symbolism - pass through the troubled towns of Montfermeil and Clichy-sous-Bois, where the 2005 riots began. The southern loop would link the centre of the city to, amongst other places, Orly Airport and Versailles. President Sarkozy also promised another Euros 14bn for the extension and re-equipment of existing Metro, regional metro (RER) and suburban railway lines.

An article in the New York Times about Sakozy's speech and announcements on Wednesday. The article rightly points out the major shortcoming in Sarkozy's announcements: the project of creating a political Greater Paris was shelved (the president said the creation of a political Greater Paris will be the responsibility of the next generation of political leaders... i.e. let's hope our children have more political courage than us... http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/3410/98474284.gif).

And so the entanglement of multiple administrative and political layers in Greater Paris will continue for the time being, with hundreds of independent mayors. It threatens to derail a lot of the projects announced on Wednesday, particularly the urban development projects (urban development is the sole responsibility of the hundreds of independent mayors).
Sarkozy Envisions Urban Regeneration for Paris and Suburbs

The New York Times
April 30, 2009

President Nicolas Sarkozy unveiled a grand design in urban overhaul for the greater Paris region on Wednesday, emphasizing the need to improve transport links as a way to better integrate the city and its sprawling suburbs.

He presented the plan, referred to as “Grand Paris,” in a keynote speech during which he outlined a sweepingly ambitious urban regeneration project for the city and its suburbs. He said it would take a decade and cost tens of billion of euros.

“What I’m proposing is certainly ambitious and difficult,” he said. “It’s about preparing for the future.”

Given the complex layers of local politics here, tough urban planning rules and the fact that the country is going through the most severe financial downturn in a generation, it is unclear how many of his ambitious goals the president can attain.

Mr. Sarkozy described plans to spend €35 billion, or 47 million, on upgrading transport links in and around the city. The transport plan would be funded by the state, local governments and through partnerships with companies — a model that has been used without great success on projects in Britain.

A central element of the project would be the creation of a gigantic, driverless Métro 140 kilometers, or about 90 miles, long that would loop the city and dissect it, linking a number of important business and residential poles, like the two main airports, the La Défense business district, Versailles and Clichy.

He also lent his support to existing plans to expand capacity on the existing train and Métro networks, extend lines and improve links to the English Channel, including adding a new high-speed rail line to the coast at Le Havre.

Mr. Sarkozy initially called for the development plan in 2007. The announcement Wednesday followed the release of blueprints, now on public display, by 10 teams of architects for adapting the landscape of the Paris region to the demands of the 21st century.

In pushing the initiative, Mr. Sarkozy joins past presidents who have aimed to leave their mark on France’s signature city. For Georges Pompidou, it was the eponymous modern art center, and François Mitterrand pushed the I.M. Pei-designed glass pyramid in the court of the Louvre Museum.

Rather than leave a monument, Mr Sarkozy appears to hope that his legacy will be to better integrate the suburbs and the center, creating a stronger, more economically compact agglomeration.

Paris has around two million inhabitants, covering a relatively small area of about 105 kilometers inside the “périphérique,” or ring road. But the greater Paris region, known as the Île-de-France, sprawls for kilometers and is home to 12 million people, making it the largest urban agglomeration in the European Union. Greater London, by comparison, is home to about 7.5 million people.

“I don’t know of any big city in which the heart is so separate from the limbs,” said Richard Rogers, chairman of the London-based architect firm Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners, and one of the 10 contestants.

Rich in monuments and historical buildings, the city has limited much urban development within the city limits. Building towers above 37 meters, or 120 feet, in height is not permitted without special permission.

That has mean much of the growth of the city has occurred in new towns ringing the city. Many of these have grown beyond their original planned size, sprawling into one another. Waves of immigrants have been housed on estates in the suburbs that have become isolated from the city, engendering a sense of alienation among youths.

Mr. Sarkozy announced a new objective of building 70,000 new homes a year in the region, double the current rate to try to offset the mismatch in supply and demand. A total of 1.5 million homes would be needed by 2030, he added.

Mr. Sarkozy said that he hoped to introduce a bill to Parliament in October that could be in place by the end of the year. After that, the separate plans would have to pass through a multitude of city and departmental bodies as well as separate transport boards.

“We need a change in the way we implement law,” he said, referring to the strict zoning rules and the multitiered decision-making process. “We need a change in our philosophy of urbanization.”

Bertrand Delanoë, the Socialist mayor of Paris, announced the willingness of his office to “do our part in a constructive and active way.” He warned that the project would never succeed without consultation among all interested parties.

During his speech, Mr. Sarkozy did not exclude the possibility of building upwards, a thorny issue for many in the city. “Why rule out building towers if they are beauty and if they integrate harmoniously in the urban landscape,” he said.

An interesting article in the Financial Times today. The author explains why Sarkozy’s ambitious plans for Paris could never be replicated for London. Aside from a typical cliché ("Napoleon") and the factually wrong statement that Sarkozy is particularly interested in the idea of extending Paris to the Channel (wrong, it's just the project from one team out of the 10 architect teams that took part in the contest, and Paris will not physically expand to the Channel, it's just that a TGV high-speed line will be built between Paris and Le Havre), the article otherwise offers an interesting comparison between both countries and both metropolises.
Outside Edge: Why urban fantasies leave les rosbifs cold

By Matthew Engel
Financial Times
May 1, 2009

Nicolas Sarkozy is a man with a large ego who is president of a country with a large ego, and this week he announced plans to transform Paris that even Napoleon might have regarded as a bit over the top.

Opening an exhibition of possible projects, designed by “leading architects”, he expressed particular enthusiasm for the idea of extending Paris to the Channel coast and for building more skyscrapers (“if they are beautiful”) in the city centre. Mr Sarkozy said he wanted to create a city comparable to “Jerusalem, Athens or Rome”.

That sounds to me, being British, like the trinity from hell: a choice between hatred, pollution or corruption.

But then the British do not care for grand plans of this nature. Our experience tells us that they end in tears. The glory of Paris derives from Baron Haussmann’s slum clearance plan in the 1850s. Britain’s well-meaning slum clearance of the 1960s was perhaps the greatest of all our many planning disasters.

The notion of Gordon Brown announcing something similar is completely fantastical. He wouldn’t dare. No, he wouldn’t even dream of daring. London is already convulsed by arguments over just one comparatively small scheme, the plan to redevelop the former Chelsea barracks site, which has pitted protesters led by the Prince of Wales against the architectural establishment. Public opinion appears to back the prince. New? Yuk! Grand plans? Spare us.

And yet in most areas of argument the nations’ roles are reversed. If Mr Brown’s home secretary proposes branding identity numbers on everyone’s foreheads or wiring us all for sound to assist the security services, the population will shrug and say that only the guilty need worry. If Mr Sarkozy attempts a small adjustment of employment law, the French are on the streets; a medium-sized one and they are hurling cobblestones.

Nearly 20 years ago Malcolm Rifkind, the then British transport minister, asked his French counterpart how he was able to plonk new roads and railways where he chose, an almost impossible task in Britain. “When we want to drain the swamp,” came the reply, “we do not ask the frogs.” Whether you ask les rosbifs or not, there is always trouble.

This is a mysterious business, though part of the answer seems to be that Britain is still a nation of countrymen, nearly all of whom happen to be exiled in town. We value every inch of our precious but diminishing stock of countryside, in theory at least, and our cities are mostly hideous. French cities are nearly all charming, and it is reasonable to believe that the tedious landscape north of Paris would actually be improved by urbanisation.

It is one of the oddities of modern history that London defeated Paris and saddled itself with that modern folie de grandeur, the Olympic Games. But it means Mr Sarkozy can contemplate rebuilding Paris for the ages; London is rebuilding for 16 days.

An interesting article in the Financial Times today. The author explains why Sarkozy’s ambitious plans for Paris could never be replicated for London. Aside from a typical cliché ("Napoleon") and the factually wrong statement that Sarkozy is particularly interested in the idea of extending Paris to the Channel (wrong, it's just the project from one team out of the 10 architect teams that took part in the contest, and Paris will not physically expand to the Channel, it's just that a TGV high-speed line will be built between Paris and Le Havre), the article otherwise offers an interesting comparison between both countries and both metropolises.

I don't understand why english press has this behavior... :ohno::ohno:

car justement, c'est un point de vue anglo-saxon :D

Northeastern Paris redevelopment area.

Nowaday this area is a industrial wastle land in the edge of the 18th and 19th arrondissements between the Peripherique beltway and the track of Gare de l'Est.

Some high-rises could be built in the western hedge of this area in Porte de la Chapelle

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d107/Vincentthomas/Album%202/nordest.jpg

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/1443/img38199asy1.jpg

http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/6637/img38218apq8.jpg

http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/1079/img38321ajw6.jpg

http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/378/img38326apt8.jpg

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/8826/img38332ahq7.jpg

http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/4457/img38098ann1.jpg

http://img367.imageshack.us/img367/3906/img38105asa0.jpg

http://www.paris.fr/portail/Urbanisme/Portal.lut?page=multimedialist&id=164&pnumber=6&page_id=6894&pop=0

Some of these projects are breathtaking. Realistically how many will be built?

Some pics of the project "Pont d'Issy", a 150m and a 200m high towers to be built west of Paris:


http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3389/3545825523_1713c018a1_o.jpg



http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2469/3546631848_f80c507dc8_o.jpg



http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3574/3545825847_1753a7c17f_o.jpg



http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3357/3546632598_1f86be6533_o.jpg

200m !!! I through that the tallest tower was 150m tall, I also see 170m but I was far to the 200m.
So it is actually the tallest tower planned outside la Defense followed by the 180m Tour Unibail in Porte de Versailles.

I like those...

May 25th :

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph5657.jpg

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph5652.jpg

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph5635.jpg

May 18th :

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph5582.jpg

May 25th :

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph5662.jpg

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph5634.jpg

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph5659.jpg

May 18th :

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph5607.jpg

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph5614.jpg

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph5580.jpg

http://www.defense-92.com/cnitlesphotos.html

They opened the first shop (Habitat) of the upper basement but there is still a lot of work to do.
The underground link with the metro/RER/suburbain train station, the exterior... are not finished.

This will link the CNIT at La Defense Grande Arche station
http://www.defense-92.fr/photos/ph5660.jpg

ZAC Massena
See the post #1873 (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=28810360&postcount=1873)

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http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d107/Vincentthomas/Album%202/zacmassena.jpg

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http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/1160/348600x500.jpg http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/6440/365600x500.jpg

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The CNIT is currently undergoing a major renovation. The last renovation at that building was in the late 1980s. The only part of the renovation to my knowledge is the opening of new shops within the basement floors.

:) nice project, thanks Minato

A new district is going to be built near the Batignolles, in the 17th arrondissement (this is 9 km/5.5 miles from the ZAC Massena district u/c shown by Minato Ku in his last post). This new district near the Batignolles (not to be confused with Minato Ku's ZAC Massena then) is one of the last remaining undevelopped areas inside the City of Paris. It was until recently covered with rail yards and railway warehouses.

A tower is planned to "punctuate" this new district and make it visible from afar. It was recently announced that the Paris court of first intance (known in French as TGI), which has the same role as both a county court and a magistrates' court (i.e. it judges most civil and criminal cases within the City of Paris), would be moved to that new district to be built near the Batignoles, possibly occupying the tower that is planned there. The TGI has been located at the Palace of Justice (the former medieval Royal Palace) on the Isle of the Cité since the 13th century, but they are forced to move out due to a lack of space. It will be something of a revolution when they move out to the less central 17th arrondissement. The Paris Court of Appeal (Greater Paris's appellate court) and the Court of Cassation (France's supreme court) will remain at the venerable Palace of Justice, occupying the whole palace after the TGI moves out. The TGI, on the other hand, will be (if insiders are right) housed in a 21st century skyscraper bordering the Périphérique freeway, only a stone's throw from the "banlieue", which is greatly symbolic. Last but not least, Nicolas Sarkozy has announced that the "Quai des Orfèvres", Paris's equivalent of Scotland Yard, will also be moved from the medieval Isle of the Cité to this new district, in mid-rise buildings at the foot of the tower.

Line 14 of the Paris Métro, the most modern and driverless Paris Métro line, will be extended towards northern Paris, and two Métro stations on the extension will serve this new district: Pont Cardinet station and Porte de Clichy station.

Here is a map showing the new district to be built (the red area is where the relocation of the TGI is being planned):
http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/2669/batignoles4.png

A tentative rendering of the new district, with the tower near the Périphérique visible in the background:
http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/8581/batignoles.png

Another tentative rendering. The tower is to the right of the district, alongside the Périphérique. You can see La Défense on the horizon to the left.
http://www.didierfavre.com/Parc/ZAC-Batignolles-TGI-3.jpg

Ground rendering, with the tower in the background:
http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/4782/batignoles1.png

Rue Cardinet now:
http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/5916/batignoles3.png

Rue Cardinet when the new district is fully developped:
http://img192.imageshack.us/img192/1516/batignoles2.png

Extension of line 14 of the Paris Métro, showing Pont Cardinet and Porte de Clichy stations that will serve the new district. Porte de Clichy station (where the TGI tower is planned) will be only 11 minutes from Châtelet station (in the very center of Paris, just across the Seine from the venerable Palace of Justice).
http://www.didierfavre.com/Parc/Ligne13-Ligne14.jpg

I see that they will not cover the railtracks as in the earlier projects (ZAC Batignolles is where was the Olympic village in Paris 2012 candidature).

ZAC Batignolles (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=38080408&postcount=2046) (17th arrondissement, northweastern inner Paris)
I was suprised that some part of the park already exist.
The TGI tower should be at the intersection between Boulevard Douaumont and avenue de la Porte de Clichy.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d107/Vincentthomas/Album%202/zacbatignolles2.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d107/Vincentthomas/Album%202/zacbatignolles.jpg


ZAC Massena (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=37943094&postcount=2043) (13th arrondissement, southeastern inner Paris)
Here in ZAC Massena, they will cover the tracks between the existing covered part and boulevard Massena.
Avenue de France will join boulevard Massena.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d107/Vincentthomas/Album%202/zacmassena3.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d107/Vincentthomas/Album%202/zacmassena2.jpg

Paris is such a pluralistic city, and what defines a global city imo. So much new architecture with so much old.

An article published yesterday in the Financial Times:
Paris is quick to exploit London’s time of weakness

Financial Times
July 2, 2009

The disappointment was tangible when Paris, the hot favourite in the race to host the 2012 Olympic Games, lost out to London four years ago. But Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, now hopes to get his own back by taking advantage of London’s current difficulties provoked by the financial crisis. In short, he is prepared to invest about €50bn ($71bn) to transform Paris and its suburban regions into a vibrant modern economic hub.

This week, he confirmed his intention of accelerating ambitious plans to link the capital’s historic centre more closely with its scattered suburbs to create what he calls “le Grand Paris”. This will involve a whole host of new construction and transport projects that will clearly provide a much-needed stimulus to the economy. There are also grand plans to expand the business district of La Défense to attract more banks, insurance companies and other corporate citizens.

Meanwhile, the Paris Europlace organisation, grouping all the great and the good of French finance and industry, has been intensifying its lobbying to enhance the image and reputation of Paris as a modern international financial centre. Its obvious target is to try to capture some of the financial business that is now flowing out of London’s Square Mile by mounting a challenge to London’s lead in financial services.

For if ever there was a time to build and develop a European financial centre to rival London this is clearly it. The reputation of the City of London, and Wall Street for that matter, has taken a beating. Banks and other financial institutions have been making scores of people redundant, many of whom have now left London. Rival European centres such as Paris or Frankfurt now see their chance to recapture some of the business that had been steadily moving to London during the past two decades.

Paris certainly has a stronger case today than in the pre-crisis period. It has held up better than many other financial centres during this crisis. It has other advantages such as its geographical position and its easy high-speed rail connections to London, Brussels, Geneva, Amsterdam and now Frankfurt. It is full of smart people and fine restaurants.

Above all, it has always had governments and presidents only too willing to invest in grand projects to leave their legacy in the history books. In this respect, Mr Sarkozy is no different to the late Socialist president François Mitterrand. French presidents have traditionally been good at launching big projects and their citizens seem to like them, especially if it offers, as is the current case, an opportunity of getting even with the British.

Yet London has an embedded advantage that Paris will have trouble overcoming. Simply put, it is a question of language and culture. For English – not French – has become the universal language of business and culturally London is better suited than Paris as an international financial centre. Whatever they may say, the French remain fundamentally suspicious of wealth and their governments are interventionist by nature. Even a self-proclaimed moderniser such as Mr Sarkozy is still reluctant to do away with the country’s controversial wealth tax. He is also an ardent critic of what he calls “financial capitalism”.

Far from growing, the financial industry, if anything, is shrinking. The immediate challenge for London is to minimise the amount of business flowing out of the Square Mile back to European centres such as Paris or Frankfurt.

This could undoubtedly constitute a far bigger threat than the emergence of large new Asian financial centres such as Shanghai. For in a 24-hour global trading system, it will always be necessary to have a leading financial centre based in Europe. This is the position London needs to protect.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d0f4ab22-665d-11de-a034-00144feabdc0.html

I read that UK has the fourth-highest tax rate in the developed world. Perhaps this will also play into Paris' hands, ne c'est pas ?

(Paris) "It is full of smart people and fine restaurants."
:lol:

^^ Come on, if the Brits say it, so it is necessarily true !!!! :lol:

I read that UK has the fourth-highest tax rate in the developed world. Perhaps this will also play into Paris' hands, ne c'est pas ?
It depends which tax rate you're talking about.

It depends which tax rate you're talking about.

I don't know. I read this in Bloomberg Magazine and they did not clarify which particular tax. I assumed they were referring to overall taxes.

Ok, so about that, I think France is worst than UK....

New Project: Tour Fiducial (Proposal)
Height: 126m
Floors: 38
Location: La Defense (near Tour AVA)

http://uppix.net/d/e/c/1a7734a0a3dbc20bc7aa0ba0a54f6.jpg

http://uppix.net/e/2/e/25b710b4bc7aaf4b616345a1d8e27.jpg

^^

link ;)

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=2196

elle est bien cette tour :)

Edit (too many pics)

Edit (too many pictures)

News of the 323m (1,060ft) Hermitage Towers. According to the French forumer Sinha, the exterior design of the towers has been validated, but Foster and Partners are still working on the interior spaces (more offices could be added in one of the two mixed towers if there is demand for it).

Concerning financing, 40% of it has already been secured (Swiss investors essentially, in particular UBS (Swiss Bank) which could locate its headquarters in the towers). Qatar is positioning itself to finance the rest of the tower.

According to Sinha's sources, Hermitage Group, the Russian developer, is apparently confident that the towers are going to be built just in time for the economic recovery. These two towers will not only be the tallest skyscrapers in France but also in Western Europe.

http://www.linternaute.com/savoir/grand-chantier/photo/hermitage-plaza-des-tours-jumelles-pour-la-defense/image/tours-hermitage-plaza-393829.jpg

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if they build this, they really need to build lots of other 300m+ towers as soon as possible to save the la defense skyline!

^^ those are great looking twin towers. hope they build them fast.

if they build this, they really need to build lots of other 300m+ towers as soon as possible to save the la defense skyline!
Normally there should be Thom Mayne's 300m Phare Tower to the left of the cluster (as seen from the Eiffel Tower), and the also 300m Generali Tower slightly to the left of the Hermitage Towers, so they won't be standing alone. Overall the skyline should be balanced, unless they don't build Phare Tower at all, but it seems more likely that it will be built than not. Jean Nouvel's Signal Tower is apparently less likely to be built, but it won't damage the harmony of the skyline as seen from the Eiffel Tower (from the Arc de Triomphe, it's another story).

Interesting

A very long article published in the New York Times. :cheers:
Remaking Paris

By Nicolai Ouroussoff, architecture critic for The New York Times.
The New York Times
June 8, 2009

Until he took office, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France never seemed destined to be a patron of architecture. In the weeks leading up to his election, more than a few architects I spoke with in Paris disparaged him as “the American,” a reference to his supposed lowbrow cultural tastes. But the French presidency has a way of infecting its occupant with visions of architectural grandeur. Georges Pompidou is better remembered today for the elaborate populist structure that bears his name than for his Gaullist policies. François Mitterrand created nearly a dozen new monuments in Paris, including I. M. Pei’s glass pyramid at the Louvre, a gigantic new national library and the Bastille Opera House. And now Sarkozy seems determined to outdo even Mitterrand.

One of the first things Sarkozy did after he moved into the Elysée Palace was to convene a meeting of prominent architects and ask them to come up with a new blueprint for Paris. “Of course,” he said, “projects should be realistic, but for me true realism is the kind that consists in being very ambitious.” His job was to clean up the city’s working-class suburbs, and at the same time build a greener Paris, the first city to conform to the environmental goals laid out in the Kyoto treaty.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/06/14/magazine/14paris_650.jpg
La Défense, the main business high-rise district. All photographs for this article were taken from a helicopter.

The results, a year later, may be the beginning of one of the boldest urban planning operations in French history. A formidable list of architects — including Richard Rogers, Jean Nouvel, Djamel Klouche and Roland Castro — put forward proposals that address a range of urban problems: from housing the poor to fixing outdated transportation systems to renewing the immigrant suburbs. Some have suggested practical solutions — new train stations and parks — while others have been more provocative, like Castro, who proposed moving the presidential palace to the outskirts.

The architects will continue to refine their ideas over the next year, so it is unclear what form the final plan will take. And Sarkozy has yet to say how he would pay for such an ambitious undertaking. Whatever their chance of being realized, however, these proposals force us to rethink what it means for Paris to be Paris, and how to fix our faltering cities. At a time when “infrastructure” has become a catchword of politicians around the world, these plans offer a glimpse of what a sustainable, more egalitarian city might look like and the role government might play in shaping one.

“I think we’ve all begun to realize the importance of cities again,” Richard Rogers told me. “You see it in Bogotá, in New York — this new interest in the compact, sustainable city. But Sarkozy deserves some credit for this. I’ve never heard a politician speak so passionately about the importance of a city. He understands that the physical environment can be used to change behavior. And I think the architects responded.”

Late one afternoon in February, the architect Christian de Portzamparc took me to the roof of La Tour Pleyel, a 40-story office tower in a derelict neighborhood just north of the Périphérique, the circular highway that separates Paris from the outlying districts. It was a clear day. Portzamparc pointed out the grim housing projects in La Courneuve, which erupted in rioting four years ago and have since been partly demolished. Sarkozy, then interior minister, spoke of these projects as a place “where gangrene has set in.”

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/06/14/magazine/14paris_pleyel.600.jpg
La Tour Pleyel, a high-rise that was part of a more ambitious but abandoned plan in the ’70s.

What struck me most about the view from La Tour Pleyel was the sense of isolation. The road to the airport looked like a scar, dividing the anonymous housing blocks on one side from the green parkland on the other. To the south, industrial wastelands bordered on a dense knot of rust-colored tracks that fed into the Gare du Nord. Another set of tracks, to the Gare de l’Est, cut through an industrial landscape of decrepit sheds and vacant lots. Even the Seine, from here, looked like an open wound. Framed by these brutal incisions, the city seemed like a series of dying, isolated pockets.

La Tour Pleyel lies in one such pocket. When it was built in the early 1970s, developers saw it as a potential rival to La Défense, which was then a booming business district northwest of the city, just past the Place de l’Étoile. Plans called for four towers around a commercial center, but with the economic downturn during that decade, the project stalled. Only one tower was ever built. Instead of sparking new development in the area, it remained surrounded by empty warehouses — another failed, stillborn fantasy.

“Most of these new developments were artificially created,” Portzamparc explained as we looked out over the city. “They were built in areas with the most potato fields, where there was nothing. These developers were not interested in nurturing what was there.”

When Portzamparc and I descended to the lobby, a line had formed in front of the Caisse d’Allocations Familiales, a government benefits office. The people, who were there to pick up unemployment checks, represented a cross-section of working-class French society. An Arab man, a North African woman holding a baby, a young couple, an old Frenchman — all waited their turns in line. No one made a sound. The rest of the lobby was empty.

Portzamparc sees such neglected areas as ripe for reinvestment, if they can be linked to a good transportation network. To facilitate circulation among the anonymous zones that encircle the city, he proposes building an elevated high-speed train line along the Périphérique’s median. To give an identity to northeast Paris, one of the city’s poorest areas, and to reassert the city’s prominence as an international business center, nonlocal trains would no longer come into Paris via the Gare du Nord and the Gare de l’Est would be closed; instead they would enter the city through a station northeast of the historic center, closer to Charles de Gaulle airport — the Gare Nord Europe.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/06/14/magazine/14paris_portz.jpg
Christian de Portzamparc’s plan for a new train station, Gare Nord Europe, and a mixed business and housing district.

Paris’s current problems as a city can be traced to the very thing that makes it most delightful — its beauty. When Baron Haussmann, working under Napoleon III, carved grand boulevards through the medieval quarters, he gave the city its Cartesian order, filling them with light and air. Haussmann’s vision for Paris ranks as one of the greatest — and most influential — urban achievements of the 19th century. Its traces can be found in cities as disparate as Buenos Aires, Bucharest and Chicago. Even Robert Moses may be viewed as an extension of Haussmann-as-urban-planner, not least because Haussmann’s work was also a radical means of social engineering. The enormous width of Haussmann’s boulevards had as much to do with moving troops through the city as with aesthetics, part of an effort to control the masses after the revolution of 1848, which brought Napoleon III to power. Effectively, the sidewalks that gave an emerging bourgeoisie a place to gather (a place from which to enter the theaters, opera houses and shops of a fashionable life) pushed the poor farther away from the center.

“In the time of Haussmann, the Paris bourgeoisie often spoke about ‘les classes dangereuses’ — the dangerous classes,” Jean-Louis Cohen, an architectural historian, told me recently. “He sought to expel the popular classes* from the center, to push them out, to the north and northeast of the city. But it marks the beginning of a long conflict. The site of the Pompidou Center was originally razed in 1939 as part of a slum clearance project, for example. There is a pattern of pushing the working classes out.”

During the next wave of modernization in the ’60s and ’70s, there was talk of demolishing the great iron-and-glass food halls at Les Halles, the city’s old, congested market area. The halls were finally torn down in 1971, an act that is still considered one of the great tragedies in the city’s history — the equivalent, for the Parisian, of the demolition of New York’s Pennsylvania Station. Most of the bars and cafes that surrounded Les Halles were destroyed, too. By the early ’70s, the government was planning hundreds of miles of new freeways, including one along the Seine and another that traced the footprint of the city’s old defensive wall (now the Périphérique). Dozens of old wood-frame and plaster houses in the eastern working-class neighborhoods of Paris were bulldozed to make room for generic apartment blocks.

The threat to historic Paris — to the heart of France’s cultural identity — eventually led to an equally violent counterreaction. In 1972 La Tour Maine-Montparnasse, a modern tower erected not far from the Luxembourg Gardens, caused a national uproar. Five years later all high-rises were banned from the center. The glittering office towers we associate with most urban downtowns were grouped in La Défense. Soon it seemed that anything that was ugly and modern was simply banished to the city’s edges. The Périphérique became a dividing line, isolating the city of Haussmann from the growing modern sprawl in the banlieues that surrounded it.

This shift in the development of the city coincided with an equally striking shift in population. In 1919, there were three million people living in municipal Paris, and its working-class neighborhoods were some of the densest in the world. Today there are only two million in the city; the majority — eight million people — live in the banlieues. More than 100 years after Haussmann’s death, old Paris has become the world’s most elegant gated community — the sandblasted facades of its Haussmann-era buildings glistening with affluence. True, every now and then, a contemporary building is added. But this is mostly architectural fine-tuning. The city’s essential fabric remains the same. Even its few ethnic neighborhoods, like La Goutte d’Or and La Chapelle, are mainly on the edges.

Meanwhile, just inside the Périphérique and beyond, is another Paris: a city of often dehumanizing public housing developments, concrete-slab office towers and arrested utopian schemes that embody many of Modernism’s failures. On some level, Sarkozy’s team of architects faces the same challenge Haussmann did 150 years ago: to give order to a vast, squalid, disordered metropolis that grew in fits and starts.

The day after I met with Portzamparc, Jean Nouvel drove me to another vision from the 1970s, Les Olympiades, a housing project in the 13th Arrondissement. At 63, Nouvel has often been on the wrong side of the city’s urban planning wars. In the late 1960s he fought to save Les Halles from demolition, but he later lost the competition to redo the site. (Forum des Halles, which won, is considered one of Paris’s modern horrors; it is also a main access point, via Paris’s rapid-transit commuter rail, to the predominantly Arab banlieues to the north.)

The vast housing complex of Les Olympiades was built for Paris’s then- booming middle class: teachers and academics as well as laborers. Today it is occupied mostly by Chinese immigrants. We climbed an escalator to a vast plaza two stories above street level, punctuated at the far end by a generic modern tower, its cast-concrete facade stained by water leaks. Two shorter apartment complexes framed it on either side. Sometime in the 1980s, a developer added some landscaping to make the plaza more welcoming, but the plants only make it look more forlorn.

“There is some life here,” Nouvel said, leading me toward an arcade of shops in the tower’s base. Inside, we passed a predictable assortment of hair salons, Chinese restaurants, video stores and pharmacies. The corridors were crowded with people coming home from work. Nouvel, with the practiced eye of an architect, noted that the proportions of the spaces were not bad. Interior walls could be knocked out to create bigger apartments, he said. Part of the plaza could be demolished to create a more direct connection to the street. But as Nouvel pointed out, the real issue is not whether this plaza can be saved. The question is what to do with the hundreds of developments like this one. “The scale of the problem is impossible once you begin to look at it,” Nouvel told me later as we sat in his office flipping through hundreds of nearly identical pictures taken from a helicopter above this city. “The only possibility is to find a few strategic points of intervention. And then, maybe, you begin to imagine a different city.”

Nouvel traced the outer edges of greater Paris on a map, outlining a border roughly 625 miles long. A range of generic middle-class communities lies just inside this line. Beyond is rural France, a patchwork of fields and forests. Nouvel’s plan is to create a harder, more defined edge — “a thick band of gardens and fields that come right up to the front door, like a gigantic communal farmers’ market. It is a place where you can grow tomatoes, care for children, play sports — a whole ecological life can happen.”

He proposes a similar strategy for the city’s industrial canals, which could be framed by a mix of lushly landscaped parks and new housing developments. Rungis, the dreary suburb to the south where the city’s abattoirs and markets were relocated after the destruction of Les Halles, would be transformed into a contemporary version of the old food halls. The nearby Orly airport could be opened to the surrounding area, so that the global elite and local residents might mingle in area restaurants and clubs. “The point is that if we give people these things, then they have a reason to be there. They become real places, with their own identity, as interesting in their way as parts of central Paris.”

One way to stitch the city back together is by re-engineering what already exists. Richard Rogers’s proposal, for example, focuses on the six major rail lines that run in and out of the city center. Many of the system’s soaring cast- and wrought-iron stations were intended as emblems of a mobile, modern society. But the tracks divide the outskirts of the city into a series of wedges. “The track beds are sometimes 300 meters wide,” Mike Davies, the partner in charge of the project, told me. “What’s interesting, however, is that they are radial — like spokes. They’re a natural place to bind the exterior and interior of the city.”

Rogers and Davies propose partly submerging the tracks underground and covering them with big public parks. An interstitial layer would contain technological services: water-purification systems, train maintenance and recycling centers. Enormous light wells cut into the parks would illuminate the trains below. Isolated neighborhoods, which now have little green space, would be intimately woven into the city’s fabric. And the parks would link to a vast new greenbelt defining the city’s edge.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2009/06/14/magazine/14paris_rogers.jpg
In Richard Rogers’s plan, armatures built over tracks would house, among other things, new renewable energy infrastructure systems.

Djamel Klouche, at 42 the youngest architect of the group, is also exploring the unique qualities of seemingly unsalvageable areas. Rather than demolish the dehumanizing apartment blocks in the poor and working-class suburbs, he proposes rethinking them. Walls might be blown out to create airier, loftlike apartments; bigger windows would let in more light. (This strategy is also being pursued by more-established French architects like Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal.) “I live on the Boulevard de Strasbourg,” Klouche said. “A very noisy street. But heavier, more modern glass could shut out almost all of this noise, and suddenly this becomes a high-end luxurious apartment in the heart of Paris. Quieter electric cars, too, could eventually make corners of the city that now seem horrible quite beautiful.”

Even more quixotically, Klouche imagines building “social collectors that attract all kinds of people,” like a semisubmerged ring of shops and parks near the freeways. His most-tongue-in-cheek proposal would extend this vision into the heart of the old city, building a commuter rail line and multi-tiered mall — much like the current Forum des Halles — underneath the Grand Louvre. Here immigrants and workers coming in on trains from the poorest suburbs would mix with tourists in the city’s great palace of culture. “The beginnings of it are already there,” he insisted. “The Grand Louvre is a classical shell, but when you enter it, it is a radically contemporary space. You could have a much more aggressive interaction between what’s underground and the history above.” Klouche’s fantasy is unlikely ever to be built, but it underscores the tensions between achieving cultural integration in theory and doing so in practice.

“We have to work with what’s there,” the Italian architect Bernardo Secchi, another participant in the design study, said recently. “It is a city of 10, 11 million people; we can’t destroy it. But we have to give a new spatial structure to this city.” To save it, he says, we need to stop the city from spreading outward and to turn it in back on itself, to fill in these empty pockets with something of meaning.

Sarkozy has asked the 10 architectural teams working on the Paris plan to collaborate and produce a more cohesive blueprint for the future. The chances of a definitive plan emerging from such an effort seem remote — and even if one does, architecture won’t solve all the city’s social ills. Nonetheless, the Grand Paris project represents a critical shift in how we think of urbanism. The tabula rasa Modernist experiments of the 1960s and 1970s not only damaged cities across the world; their failure spelled the abandonment of visionary master planning. In places where large-scale urban projects did re-emerge, like China and the Middle East, older, poorer neighborhoods were often bulldozed to make room for new development at a frenetic pace, with little regard for how the pieces fit together.

The plans presented for Grand Paris suggest that it is possible to believe, once again, that government can play a decisive role in achieving a truly egalitarian city — and that architecture is essential to that transformation.

And here you can watch the New York Times audio slide show of the Paris projects:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/06/11/magazine/paris-audioss/index.html

Latest photos of the 231m (756ft) new Axa Tower under (re)construction. The new Axa Tower is now the tallest skyscraper in La Défense.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd119/RS-steph35/paris/02-1-2.jpg

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph6303.jpg

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph6323.jpg

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph6320.jpg

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph6306.jpg

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph6304.jpg

Double skin:
http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph6326.jpg

Lobby's roof:
http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph6309.jpg

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph6338.jpg

The new cladding is a far cry from the old one. I like it and can't wait to see it in person. Last time I was there they were still a long way from cladding.:(

Test piling and soil investigation for the 166m (545ft) Carpe Diem Tower at La Défense have been carried out last April-June. This tower will have 39 floors, including a large winter garden in its lobby.

http://grrroux.free.fr/misc/carpe_panneau.jpg

The France Telecom building that stands on site has now been fenced off.

An old picture of the France Telecom building's front side (it's the building with "Open" written on it):
http://www.defense-92.fr/liste/Photos/IMGP13616.jpg

Back side:
http://www.defense-92.fr/liste/Photos/IMGP5551.jpg

The France Telecom Building in its environment (back when the T1 Tower was still under construction):
http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/5564/d21ag5xk9.png

And this is the France Telecom building now, with fences around it:
http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph6314.jpg

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph6315.jpg

They are now going to remove asbestos from the building, then it will be demolished in December.

And this is the Carpe Diem Tower that will be built once the France Telecom building is demolished:

http://www.defense-92.fr/photos/ph4037.jpg

http://www.defense-92.fr/photos/avivaentree.jpg

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/1896_3_tour4.jpg

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/1896_4_tour5.jpg

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/1896_2_tour3.jpg

The building permit was issued at the beginning of the year:
http://grrroux.free.fr/misc/carpe_p%C3%A9c%C3%A9.jpg

Will it be a non-explosive demolition? With all the glass facades around it I'm guessing it will. Any idea?

^^Nobody used explosives in the demolition of the Immueble Esso skyscraper in 1993. And I have not any records of any explosive demolitions in France.

And I have not any records of any explosive demolitions in France.
No?

Paris:
x5iyf2

Nice:
x2m95s

Lyon:
x4dg45

The mighty city of Thouars:
x6tvr6

I Love that !!!!

Again, again, again, more, more, more :cheer: !

Mantes-la-Jolie, in the northwestern suburbs of Paris. ;)

H_1N2YF0_pc

Mantes-la-Jolie, in the northwestern suburbs of Paris. ;)I thought exactly about the same video. Here's an english-subtitled version.

Subtitles are easier to read in HQ mode.

DWj_IVFJx3o

I can't wait till all these beauties get built. Paris really will be such a pluralistic city even more so than it already is- old and futuristic in spades.

the buildings are outstanding

are the twin towers approved?

are the twin towers approved?
The building permit hasn't been issued yet, but these twin towers have been informally approved by La Défense Authority (EPAD) should the Russian developer desire to build them, which they still very much want to do despite the economic crisis. Like I said at the beginning of the thread, 40% of financing has already been secured, and Qatar will apparently provide the rest of the money. Now that the exterior design of the towers has been validated, Foster and Partners are working on the interior spaces (more offices could be added). The Russian developer is currently working behind the scenes to relocate the people (renters, not owners) who currently live in the ugly building that needs to be demolished to make way for the twin towers, and they are also probably completing technical/soil studies.

That's the ugly building that needs to be demolished:
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/6762/img5546raw.jpg

According to the French forumer Mohamed6, demolition of the France Telecom building has already started. Inside the building, wall-to-wall carpeting is being pulled up, and inner walls and doors are being knocked down. Outside the building, a bulldozer has destroyed a part of the building. No pictures yet.

Just to remind everyone the France Telecom building to be demolished will be replaced by Carpe Diem (most idiotic name ever IMO for a skyscraper), not the Hermitage Plaza Towers.

^^It was already explained in the last page.

I know, but I'm just reminding it to international forumers.

Here's a video made by French forumer Karim and showing the most important pojects in La Défense : :)

Ryeu9MUUW2M

The new headquarters of Bouygues Immobilier were unveiled on Tuesday. They are located in Issy-les-Moulineaux, to the south-west of Central Paris. The architect is Christian de Portzamparc.

http://www.lemoniteur.fr/media/IMAGE/2009/09/22/IMAGE_2009_09_22_1002425.jpg

http://www.lemoniteur.fr/media/IMAGE/2009/09/22/IMAGE_2009_09_22_1002426.jpg

This is where these new headquarters are located (the red triangle). Note that when these aerial views were taken, the Bouygues Immobilier headquarters were still under construction, but they have now been completed and unveiled to the public.

http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/554/bouyguest.png

http://img41.imageshack.us/img41/2076/bouygues1.png

And here you can watch the New York Times audio slide show of the Paris projects:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/06/11/magazine/paris-audioss/index.html

Mhm, I'm maybe a bit late with this but what's the chance of any of those proposals to actually being built? It are (probably) only visions but Sarkozy has big plans so maybe one of those will actually be built. (?)

The central park-style park with skyscrapers around and the eco-city are amazing. I hope to see at least one of those projects to actually be true! :)

Mhm, I'm maybe a bit late with this but what's the chance of any of those proposals to actually being built? It are (probably) only visions but Sarkozy has big plans so maybe one of those will actually be built. (?]
Those are not proposals or projects. Those are only examples illustrating the ideas of the architect and urbanist teams that took part in the Greater Paris contest. Eventually, some things will be built based on the ideas of the teams, but it won't be exactly what they showed.

At the moment the only part of the Greater Paris plan that is certain is the construction of what will be the world’s longest driverless rapid transit line, a giant double loop of 130 km (80 miles) with 40 stations whose cost is estimated at 20.5 billion euros (30.1 billion US dollars) and that should open in only 10 years' time. The French governement will be in charge of the whole project, not the local Paris authorities whose inertia and lack of initiative has severaly hindered the competitiveness of Paris in the past 15 years.

In order to meet the tight deadline, 10 tunnel boring machines will bore tunnels at the same time all across Greater Paris, something on a scale that has apparently never been seen anywhere in the world before, say the authorities. According to the minister in charge of the project, this giant new infrastructure should boost economic growth in Greater Paris from currently +2% a year to +4% a year when it is completed in 2020. It should generate 800,000 jobs, and bring the population of Greater Paris from currently 12 million to 16 million. You're of course free to believe or not to believe the minister's forecasts.

Here is the latest map of that new rapid transit line for Greater Paris, dubbed the "Super Métro" or the "Grand Huit", with the 7 economic clusters that it will link with each other:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_S6IPtOvJBUU/Sro7CBCTL3I/AAAAAAAAAHQ/4oDAG02LVyQ/s720/trac%C3%A9%20r%C3%A9seau%20primaire.jpg

An interesting 3D map showing the many high-rise buildings in Central Paris.

Small size:
http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/1094/pariscouleurgrd.jpg

Large size:
http://www.satisfecit-editions.com/images/ParisCouleurGrd.jpg

Paris looks so small like that......... Many many streets are missing...... ;)

But, actually, I like this map !

Reaching for the moon...

http://blog.bouygues-construction.com/wp-content/lune.jpg

PS : That's a picture of the top of the New Axa Tower at La Défense taken last week. Exactly 200 meters (656 ft) above street level.

Paris looks so small like that......... Many many streets are missing...... ;)

But, actually, I like this map !Yes... that's a kind of mini-Paris... the city 20 times smaller. It recalls me the Simcity versions of Paris I've downloaded at the time of Simcity 3000.

The guy who has drawn that map made a huge work. I guess it took him a lot of time. This is quite fascinating.

^^ I also downloaded it, it was a long time ago. I wasn't even in Paris at this time.
Something like 2001.

Abandon du projet Manhattan alors c'est sûr ?

Unexpected news today. Le Parisien revealed that the tower of Paris's new Palace of Justice, in Central Paris (17th arrondissement), which was planned to be 130 m (430 ft) high, will in reality be 200 m (660 ft) high, i.e. almost as high as the Montparnasse Tower, after the Paris City Hall decided to increase the height of the project!! It will be the tallest skyscraper built in Central Paris since the Montparnasse Tower. You can read Le Parisien's article here: http://www.leparisien.fr/paris-75/le-palais-de-justice-grimpera-a-200-m-15-10-2009-675001.php

You can find full information about this project in my previous post #2046 (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=38080408&postcount=2046) in this thread. We hear today that this 200m tower will contain 80,000 m² (860,000 sq ft) of office space and courtrooms, and will cost more than 800 million euros (1.2 billion dollars). It will be completed and delivered in 2015.

Here is a picture showing where this tower will be located (note that in this rendering, the tower is only 130 m high; the new project provides for a 200m high tower that will be thiner than the 130m tower appearing in this rendering).
http://images.google.com/url?source=imgres&ct=tbn&q=http://www.didierfavre.com/Parc/ZAC-Batignolles-TGI-3.jpg&usg=AFQjCNFlvwTJbQwjL-86UX8Ni3CFwE56Gg

View of the buildings under construction near the T1 Tower at La Défense.

http://www.ambilao.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/a-view-of-la-defense-from-lgc.jpg

Paris looks fantastic, Well done France.

The Zamansky Tower, on the Universités Paris VI et VII campus, is now completed! It is located in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, only 725 meters (800 yards) from Notre Dame Cathedral. It hosts classes and research rooms.

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu358/unpieton/contact.jpg

the view at night from the art bridge (near Louvre) to this tower is wonderful

Wow! That Zamansky Tower is amazing! It is unique and extremely modern! And It's in the centre of the historical city. Go Paris!

(:D)

The Axa Tower under reconstruction at La Défense. Photo taken by the French forumer Breff from the Latin Quarter (the dome in the foreground is the Sorbonne).

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2621/4041197174_6b65f562e0_o.jpg

Some new buildings currently under construction in Central Paris.

109/111 rue de Ménilmontant (20th arrondissement). 65 dwellings for students.
http://www.archicontemporaine.org/upload/fp_album/4084/785x785_4084_vignette_menil01.jpg

http://www.archicontemporaine.org/upload/fp_album/4085/785x785_4085_vignette_menil02.jpg

http://www.archicontemporaine.org/upload/fp_album/4087/4087_vignette_menil05.jpg


119 rue Oberkampf (11th arrondissement). The apartments are on sale for the hefty price of €8,470 per m² (US$1,160 per sq. ft).
http://www.119rueoberkampf.com/upload/images//Facade%20rue%20Oberkampf%20(mail)_1204634129.jpg

12 rue Turgot (9th arrondissement). A multi-level parking structure from the 1930s reconverted into apartments (lofts), each with its own parking space on the same floor (i.e. if you live on the 5th floor, you can reach directly the 5th floor with your car!).
http://www.patrickmauger.com/images/turgot7.jpg

http://www.patrickmauger.com/images/turgot3.jpg

Before:
http://www.patrickmauger.com/images/turgot5.jpg

After:
http://www.patrickmauger.com/images/turgot4.jpg

http://www.patrickmauger.com/images/turgot6.jpg

The new staircase of the Trousseau Hospital (12th arrondissement).
http://www.agencebp.com/indexhibit/files/gimgs/50_tro30.jpg

15 rue des Pavillons (20th arrondissement). A social housing project. The architect is Frédéric Borel.
http://www.fredericborel.fr/img/projet/022-0.jpg

http://www.fredericborel.fr/img/projet/022-4.jpg

http://www.fredericborel.fr/img/projet/022-5.jpg

52-56 avenue Raymond Poincaré (16th arrondissement). Private investors. The architect is Frédéric Borel.
http://www.fredericborel.fr/img/projet/051-0.jpg

http://www.fredericborel.fr/img/projet/051-3.jpg

http://www.fredericborel.fr/img/projet/051-5.jpg

http://www.fredericborel.fr/img/projet/051-4.jpg

Further in the suburbs, the Ecole des Beaux Arts, in Versailles. The façade is made exclusively of solid stones.
http://www.cyberarchi.com/images/articles/12666_01_z.jpg

http://www.cyberarchi.com/images/articles/12666_04_z.jpg

http://www.cyberarchi.com/images/articles/12666_05_z.jpg

http://www.cyberarchi.com/images/articles/12665_11_z.jpg

http://www.cyberarchi.com/images/articles/12665_04_z.jpg

http://www.cyberarchi.com/images/articles/12665_06_d.jpg

http://www.cyberarchi.com/images/articles/12665_16_z.jpg

Reconversion of the 19th century Crédit Lyonnais headquarters (2nd arrondissement), in the heart of the central business district. The headquarters burnt in 1996 and have been entirely reconverted. The Crédit Lyonnais bank will now occupy only half of the huge building, and the rest is rented to other companies. Rents in this prestigious building in the heart of the CBD are said to reach as high as €800 per m² (US$100 per sq. ft) not including taxes and utilities.
http://www.scmf.com.fr/images/_hd/credit_lyonnais_paris_16.jpg

http://www.scmf.com.fr/images/_hd/credit_lyonnais_paris_10.jpg

http://www.lecentorial.com/medias/images/centorial05.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/6c/Si%C3%A8ge_CL_verri%C3%A8re.jpg/950px-Si%C3%A8ge_CL_verri%C3%A8re.jpg

And countless other projects, but the French forumers regrettably never post them in this forum...

109/111 rue de Ménilmontant (20th arrondissement). 65 dwellings for students.
http://www.archicontemporaine.org/upload/fp_album/4084/785x785_4084_vignette_menil01.jpg


15 rue des Pavillons (20th arrondissement). A social housing project. The architect is Frédéric Borel.
http://www.fredericborel.fr/img/projet/022-0.jpg

Those ones are actually built.

News of the 323m (1,060ft) Hermitage Towers. According to the French forumer Sinha, financing of the towers is almost completely secured (Swiss and Qatari investors). Half of the people who rent apartments in the buildings that need to be destroyed to make way for the Hermitage Towers have already been relocated to other buildings in Greater Paris. Construction of the towers is now scheduled to start in the end of 2010 or beginning of 2011 (only little more than a year from now then), and completion of the towers is expected in 2015-2016. The Russian developers are more and more confident about the project.

Last but not least, the Russian developers who plan to build the Hermitage Towers also have other tower projects in Greater Paris and other French cities, but this is still kept undisclosed! According to Sinha, apart from the 250,000 m² of the Hermitage Towers, they are also working on 450,000 m² of towers in another location in Greater Paris, in Lyon, in Marseille, and even also possibly Lille. They believe that France has the best potential in Europe for developers in the next 10 years.

According to the forumer Mikeee, the architect firm Foster + Partners, which designed the Hermitage Towers, are building two 30 m (100 ft) models of the towers somewhere in a secret location in the suburbs of Paris (one model using concrete, and the other one using steel beams) in order to determine which solution is best for building the towers. The structural engineering firm LERA was selected by Foster + Partners to conduct all the structural engineering work: http://www.lera.com/projects/hir/hermitage.htm

Here is a small scale model of La Défense showing the Hermitage Towers and the other supertalls planned in the coming years. It is on display at the La Défense Museum (a museum which presents the history of La Défense).

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2447/4029225584_0f5cc65a09_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2660/4029225510_cdd529546a_o.jpg

First Tower - La Defense. Photos taken today by french forumer Steph35



http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu358/unpieton/05-4.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu358/unpieton/06-2.jpg

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu358/unpieton/08-2.jpg

The 24-floor Mozart Tower in Issy-les-Moulineaux, to the south-west of Central Paris, is nearing completion.

http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/8933/ighmozart1.jpg

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/6773/img000372r.jpg

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd119/RS-steph35/paris/02-1-1.jpg

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd119/RS-steph35/paris/03-3.jpg

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd119/RS-steph35/paris/02-3.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d107/Vincentthomas/Album%202/DSC12193.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/vuarnet/DSC_0001-1.jpg

The futuristic building to the right of the picture is the new headquarters of Bouygues Immobilier by Christian de Portzamparc, of which I already talked about in post #2086 (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=43552734&postcount=2086).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v639/vuarnet/DSC_0004-2.jpg

Does anyone know when construction of Paris Philarmonie by Jean Nouvel starts?
I heard it would be in September but I guess it has been delayed.

Hey brisavoine, thanks for keeping us updated here.

Any word on the new train lines the will ring around the city? It was big news when it came out, but I haven't heard anything since.

^^Check post #2088. (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=43697590&postcount=2088)

The law creating the Société du Grand Paris that will be in charge of building this new mega transport infrastructure has been fast tracked in the French Paliament and will be discussed and probably voted in the National Assembly on November 24-26. Then it will go to the French Senate where it should be discussed and voted in February next year. After that, the legal and technical procedure (opening a mandatory public debate, getting all the legal and technical certifications, etc.) will officially start on September 1, 2010, and the exact location of the 40 Métro stations on that new mega line will be announced in the end of 2010.

Here is the full text of the law creating the Société du Grand Paris that should be voted on November 24-26: http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/13/projets/pl1961.asp

The government estimates that this new line will cost 20.5 billion euros (US$30.5 bn). 17 billion will be financed by government bonds (perhaps part of the large national bond to be launched shortly to fund research, hi-tech industries, green energy, railways, etc., in order to boost future French growth). The remaining 3.5 billion will be financed by a capital contribution (from the government I suppose) and by land-value gains created by that new infrastructure around the new Métro stations.

On top of these 20.5 billion euros, another 14.5 billion euros (US$21.5 bn) will be invested by the government to improve the current Métro and RER lines, notably by:
- extending line 14 of the Métro (the most recent and fully automated line of the Paris Métro that will be extended north of St Lazare station to removed congestion in that area of the Métro network and serve the new Batignoles district where a skyscraper will be built, see post #2095 (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=44662688&postcount=2095))
- extending line E of the RER to La Défense (it currently stops at St Lazare-Haussmann, but will be extended to La Défense to connect with the western suburban lines and remove stress on the other lines serving La Défense, keeping in mind the increase of workers at La Défense due to the new skyscrapers to be built there)
- extending other Métro lines (lines 12, 1, and a couple others).
- building and extending several tramway lines
- converting several Métro lines into fully automated Métro lines (line 1 is currently being converted into a fully automated line, others should follow)

So in total, 35 billion euros (US$52 bn) should be invested in the Greater Paris public transportation network in the coming 10 years. In a large measure due to the involvement of Nicolas Sarkozy who is very much behind the whole project and wants to see most of it nearing completion when he leaves office in 2017 (if he's reelected in 2012).

^^Thanks for the info. There's a lot of great developments coming out of Paris lately; I'm looking forward to them, but I'm also, frankly speaking, a bit surprised as well.

News of the 323m (1,060ft) Hermitage Towers. According to the French forumer Sinha, financing of the towers is almost completely secured (Swiss and Qatari investors). Half of the people who rent apartments in the buildings that need to be destroyed to make way for the Hermitage Towers have already been relocated to other buildings in Greater Paris. Construction of the towers is now scheduled to start in the end of 2010 or beginning of 2011 (only little more than a year from now then), and completion of the towers is expected in 2015-2016. The Russian developers are more and more confident about the project.

Last but not least, the Russian developers who plan to build the Hermitage Towers also have other tower projects in Greater Paris and other French cities, but this is still kept undisclosed! According to Sinha, apart from the 250,000 m² of the Hermitage Towers, they are also working on 450,000 m² of towers in another location in Greater Paris, in Lyon, in Marseille, and even also possibly Lille. They believe that France has the best potential in Europe for developers in the next 10 years.

According to the forumer Mikeee, the architect firm Foster + Partners, which designed the Hermitage Towers, are building two 30 m (100 ft) models of the towers somewhere in a secret location in the suburbs of Paris (one model using concrete, and the other one using steel beams) in order to determine which solution is best for building the towers. The structural engineering firm LERA was selected by Foster + Partners to conduct all the structural engineering work: http://www.lera.com/projects/hir/hermitage.htm

Here is a small scale model of La Défense showing the Hermitage Towers and the other supertalls planned in the coming years. It is on display at the La Défense Museum (a museum which presents the history of La Défense).

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2447/4029225584_0f5cc65a09_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2660/4029225510_cdd529546a_o.jpg

Hi there,

OMG,if your sources really are reliable(actually Sinha's) it's great news...
But I don't wanna get carried away,it's better to remain careful...However,I had already heard of those 30m replicas being currently built in Paris,I would love those to be officially confirmed though...

If the financing definitely is secured,that's very encouraging.Now,there's the second half of the people left to be relocated and things will appear smoother...:banana:

Honestly, I'm puzzled about "Hermitage Plaza" being scheduled end 2010/beginning 2011(I wish it was true,would be wicked)but I doubt it.
Whatever, let's think positive,I don't feel like being despondent,it could bring bad luck to the project...

Thank you very much dude for the information,all we can do is pray right now...We'll see what the future holds(hopefully,it will be full of promises:D)
Fingers crossed...

Does anyone know when construction of Paris Philarmonie by Jean Nouvel starts?
I heard it would be in September but I guess it has been delayed.

Hello dude,

Even though I cannot confirm it officially(I don't live in Paris right now but in the next few months yes) the works were due in autumn 2009(actually in september indeed) therefore I assume that they have already started.

Furthermore,according to Wikipedia,it says that it's currently U/C.

As soon as we have pictures of the site,we'll post them on here!

The "Philharmonie de Paris" is said to be delivered for october 2012.

For those willing to see what it's gonna look like,here are a few renders:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=413073&page=5

A picture taken by the French forumer JP showing the skyscrapers currently under construction behind the Champs-Elysées.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2740/4127863811_ffcbfce4df_o.jpg

The arc de triomphe visible on that pic doesn't look like it's made of stones.

In fact that arc looks so cartoonish that, even if one has never heard of Paris, Las Vegas (:tongue3:) one would still come to the inevitable conclusion that the damn thing must be some kind of a mockup in a studio or a themepark or something (and never ever mistake it for the real one

A picture taken by the French forumer JP showing the skyscrapers currently under construction behind the Champs-Elysées.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2740/4127863811_ffcbfce4df_o.jpg

^^This is Las Vegas, not Paris man :lol:

Hehe, I'm an American and even I knew that!

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2447/4029225584_0f5cc65a09_o.jpg

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2660/4029225510_cdd529546a_o.jpg
I wish we would have serious projects of that scale in Frankfurt!

Be safe, there's no serious project going on in France either.

Magnificent projects going on in Paris :)

Yeah!!! new pics of New AXA Tower from Steph35

http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad5/unpieton2/01.jpg

http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad5/unpieton2/02.jpg

http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad5/unpieton2/04.jpg

http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad5/unpieton2/03.jpg

http://i916.photobucket.com/albums/ad5/unpieton2/05.jpg

and a video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5tv9S297gM

^^ Can't wait till its finished :cheers:
Amazing tower :)

^^Great skylines... :D

The 2008 regional economic accounts were published today by the French statistical office. In 2008, the GDP of Greater Paris (the Île-de-France region) reached the record level of 813.4 billion US dollars. If it were an independent country, Greater Paris would be the 17th largest economy in the world, between the Netherlands (US$860.3 bn) and Turkey (US$794.2 bn). The GDP per capita of Greater Paris in 2008 was US$69,399. The GDP per job was US$145,267.

Note that the Paris metropolitan area is slightly larger than Greater Paris (Greater Paris covers 98% of the Paris metropolitan area).

http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/detail.asp?ref_id=cnat-region&reg_id=99

Wow the building has really improved 100%! Great!!! :banana:

Funny that that Paris' AXA tower is somewhat of a copy of Brussels' Dexia tower (pic below).

Are the two companies related by any chance?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/snot/best/rogier_et_tour_dexia_rec_print.jpg

^^

They don't really look alike....

I don't think the two are related

Funny that that Paris' AXA tower is somewhat of a copy of Brussels' Dexia tower (pic below).

Are the two companies related by any chance?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v465/snot/best/rogier_et_tour_dexia_rec_print.jpg

I see no similarity there. If it was the case, then the tower in Brussels is a copy of dozens of such towers worldwide! This style isn't really unique, that of Paris is way better!

If it was the case, then the tower in Brussels is a copy of dozens of such towers worldwide! This style isn't really unique, that of Paris is way better!Sheesh! So sensitive!

Did I say the Brussels building is unique in the world?
Did I say it was the the most beautiful building in the world?

I only made reference to the obvious similarities that:

Both have "sloping" roofs
Both are "square spirals"
Both are situated in cities not far from each other
Both are bank headquarters
Both banks are french owned.

I see no similarity there.Go to a doctor and get a complete sensory organs checkup.

Dexia and AXA have quite different businesses though. Dexia is more lending money to public governments while AXA is an insurance company.

while AXA is an insurance company.

Yes, our last large one........ since Allianz has "eated" the other ones... :(

What about Groupama?

16 Décembre 2009

La crise faisait douter de l’avenir du projet, Emin Iskenderov rassure.

Dans une interview accordée au quotidien Les Echos, Emin Iskenderov le PDG du promoteur-investisseur russe Hermitage affirme avoir obtenu les financements nécessaires à la construction de ses deux tours mixtes à La Défense. Le projet dessiné par Norman Foster prévoit la construction de deux tours jumelles de 323 mètres de hauteur comprenant de l’hôtellerie, des bureaux, des commerces, des logements, mais aussi une salle de concert, une galerie d’art et des salles de sport.
Le coût global de cette opération, présentée à l’origine dans le cadre du concours « tour Signal », est évalué à 2 Mds€. « A ce jour, nous avons investi 110 M€ de fonds propres, dont 95 millions sont consacrés aux acquisitions foncières et le solde aux études liées à la maîtrise d’œuvre », indique Emin Iskenderov. Environ 200 nouveaux M€ de fonds propres seront déboursés d’ici l’été 2011, juste avant le démarrage des travaux. « Nos accords avec un pool de banquiers européens doivent, à la purge du permis de construire, débloquer 700 M€ afin de financer la construction de la totalité du projet dont la commercialisation sera lancée fin 2010 », affirme le PDG russe. La livraison est annoncée pour 2016.:)
______________________________________________
Translation:

Emin Iskenderov,President & Managing Director of russian property developer/investor Hermitage asserted in a daily french paper "Les Echos" that he had secured the financing needed to build his 323m mixed use twin towers in La Défense.The project designed by Norman Foster has an estimated cost of 2 billion euros." To date we have invested 110 millions euros (funds) including 95 millions dedicated to the landed acquisition + credit for the researches linked to the main contractor" Emin Iskenderov says.Another 200 millions euros (capital cover) will be spent by summer 2011,just before commencing work."To build the entire project whose marketing will be launched end of 2010,another 700 millions euros are to be unblocked thanks to our agreements with a group of european bankers.The Hermitage Plaza towers are to be delivered in 2016",asserts the russian president and managing director.
___________________

http://www.archthai.com/home/images/stories/Hermitage/fosterherm-ed02.jpg

Hermitage Plaza twin towers in La Défense (2x 323m)

:banana: :banana: :banana:

^^ Great news, indeed !!!! :)

16/12/2009

Hope you guys understand french a bit...If not,let me know.

http://www.lemoniteur.fr/131-etat-et-collectivites/article/actualite/693602-paris-vote-oui-pour-la-tour-triangle :)

(Article found thanks to Archimonde on the french forum)

http://projets-architecte-urbanisme.fr/images-archi/tour-triangle-porte-de-versailles-paris-herzog-250x164.jpg TRIANGLE,180m/200m to be delivered in 2014

If you think those two buildings look similar, it simply shows you didn't see many buildings.
It is not that others are sensitive. You should browse many buildings before you make such claims as copies.


Sheesh! So sensitive!

Did I say the Brussels building is unique in the world?
Did I say it was the the most beautiful building in the world?

I only made reference to the obvious similarities that:

Both have "sloping" roofs
Both are "square spirals"
Both are situated in cities not far from each other
Both are bank headquarters
Both banks are french owned.

Go to a doctor and get a complete sensory organs checkup.

If you think those two buildings look similar, it simply shows you didn't see many buildings.
It is not that others are sensitive. You should browse many buildings before you make such claims as copies.

The worst of all is that by his standards of "similarity" these two houses would be similar also:
http://www.privatzimmer.or.at/selbstwarten/upload/kunden/3260/haus-sandtner-sommer.jpg
http://www.hausbau24.de/hausbau/hausanbieter/massa_haus_gmbh/lifestyle_14/images/massa_haus_gmbh_lifestyle_14_0_org.jpg :lol:

If you think those two buildings look similar, it simply shows you didn't see many buildings.
It is not that others are sensitive. You should browse many buildings before you make such claims as copies.Oh boy! Another oversensitive dudu is here.

First of all, since when is quantity a substitute for quality? Anyways, what matters is that I live less than 2 hours of commuter distance from both Paris & Brussels, two cities I have been to countless times. You know what that means? That means that, unlike you who supposedly have seen "many buildings" in many (to our discussion totally irrelevant) places in the world, I actually am qualified to judge whether these buildings are similar in the places they are located, which they are without a shadow of a doubt. They look similar especially at night and when seen from certain viewpoints. They are also similar in their functions (financial firm HQs - in other words, they are similar in the same way many state capitols in America resemble the big capitol in Washington DC both in looks and in function).

The worst of all is that by his standards of "similarity" these two houses would be similar also:Oh yes that's right, mister self-appointed spokesman of mine. A traditional mountain chalet looks like a modern beach bungalow! Fantastic! What a genius you are. I'll raise your salary.

01/12/2009

The French National Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill setting in motion a master plan to create a "Greater Paris" with a new 40-station metro line connecting the capital to its gritty suburbs.

The legislation outlining the 21-billion-euro (32-billion-dollar) infrastructure project was adopted by a vote of 299 to 216 and is due to go before the Senate for final approval in February.

It establishes the Greater Paris authority tasked with building the figure-eight metro line that will snake its way from Charles de Gaulle airport north of Paris to the city's outer limits and south to Orly airport.

The huge project has been championed by President Nicolas Sarkozy as he seeks to put his stamp on Paris, turning the capital into a 21st-century metropolis able to compete with global rivals London, New York or Tokyo.

Christian Blanc, the minister responsible for development of the capital area, said work on the 130-kilometre (80-mile) metro line could start at the end of 2013 and the new stations could begin opening in 2017.

Sarkozy last year asked 10 teams of world-class architects to come up with proposals for the Paris of the future, with a special emphasis on transport to break down the divide between the city proper and its volatile suburbs.

Unlike London, which is home to eight million people in the city and its suburbs, Paris has just two million citizens while at least six million more live in surrounding areas under separate local governments.

Paris' last major urban planning project was carried out in the mid-19th century, when Georges-Eugene Haussmann led a massive renovation programme.

Since then, the gap has grown between a historic centre, fairly attractive western suburbs and other poor, often bleak neighbourhoods, cut off from public transport and facilities.

The disconnect between Paris and its poorer, high-immigrant suburbs is seen as a key reason for the riots of 2005.

On Tuesday, the Socialist opposition voted against the bill and some members of Sarkozy's right-wing party also broke ranks to press demands for more negotiations with local councils.

The Ile-de-France region spanning Paris and seven surrounding departments is controlled by the left, which fears being sidelined in the process

http://www.batiactu.com/images/diaporama/cadre/20090326_114531_20090323_162200_1portzamparc.jpg The future 130 km automatic metro line to be delivered in 2017

What exactly does this Greater Paris region means?
A new political divison of the whole urbanized area of the metropolis?

What exactly does this Greater Paris region means?
A new political divison of the whole urbanized area of the metropolis?
No, at this point it's not a political reform, it's not the creation of the long awaited Greater Paris political authority covering Central Paris and its suburbs. This "Grand Paris" is only a company that will manage the construction of the giant 130 km Métro infrastructure around Central Paris, end of the story. I already explained it in posts #2088 (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=43697590&postcount=2088) and #2109 (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=46349257&postcount=2109) .

As for the creation of a Greater Paris political authority, at the moment it is in the doldrums. Local politicians are only feuding with each other, and the French government is not really keen to merge Paris with its suburbs, either because they fear it would give too much power to the Left, or because they don't have enough courage to override local politicians who are opposed to it. It will probably take several more suburban riots before those stupid politicians finally get real and create the long awaited Greater Paris political authority. It's only been 100 years since people talked about merging the City of Paris and its suburbs. :|

I'm quite sceptical about this, much like the journalist here.
Electric cars for Paris

Charles Bremner, Paris Correspondent for The Times
December 20, 2009

http://timescorrespondents.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451d14e69e20120a769fec7970b-pi

As a daily user of the excellent Vélib self-service bicycles of Paris, I find it hard to be optimistic over the latest transport revolution from Mayor Bertrand Delanoe: self-service electric cars.

Instant car rental already operates in many cities, including Paris. The novelty of Delanoe's scheme is its very ambitious scale and the use of all-electric vehicles. A week ago, Delanoe opened the "Autolib" project to tender from potential operators. Renault, Peugeot and Daimler are possible suppliers of the 3,000 vehicles, along with new specialised green vehicle firms.

If it works, in about 18 months time, Parisians and residents of near suburbs will be able to pick up an electric car with a card swipe at 1,000 stations day and night and drop it off at any any of them. This will cost about 15 euros a month plus four or five euros per half hour of rental.

Delanoe said that the eyes of the world would be on his pioneering venture but he acknowledged that it faced many unknowns. Like the Vélib bikes, the Autolib is meant to cut pollution.

Delanoe, an enthusiastic promoter of alternative transport, estimates that the availability of low-cost vehicles will encourage Parisians to give up car ownership, saving some 22,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.

"This is a world first... We are starting a little revolution," Delanoe said earlier this month when he announced specifications for potential operators. "We have to change. We have to invent another way of moving around. It is a new concept for communal life."

The scheme is backed by conservative suburban councils as well as by Delanoe's Socialist party, but it is opposed by the Greens who are his allies in the capital's council. Even green vehicles will increase congestion, they say. "Encouraging the public to use any type of car instead of taking bicycles or public transport is a mistake," said Denis Baupin, a Green Deputy Mayor.

Delanoe replies that cars are necessary even in a city with good public transport. An additional reason, compared with London or New York, is the abysmal taxi service in Paris. Taxi drivers have been been opposing Delanoe's attempts to increase their numbers and of course they are opposed to the Autolib.

The city is drawing on its experience with its bicycles. The 21,000 Velibs have improved life for many Parisians and tourists, but since 2007, the scheme has cost far more than expected because of theft and vandalism. Eight thousand have been stolen so far and 18,000 damaged. To help pay for the losses, the city last month renegotiated its contract with JC Decaux, the company that runs the bike system.

There will be elaborate security on the cars and users will have to give a substantial credit card deposit, but Delanoe and the suburban mayors are counting on civic spirit as they wean residents away from cars. Drivers will be expected to leave vehicles clean and plug them in for recharging. They will have a short range of about 100 miles and they will be be clearly identified. This is supposed to discourage mistreatment and theft. But I fear that abuse will be substantial. You only have to see the way that people inflict mindless damage on the bikes. These cost 600 euros each while electric cars will run to thousands.

The pricing is designed to encourage short trips, such as shopping, collecting children or taking the famiy to places poorly served by public transport. Users can check for nearest available vehicles and parking slots on their mobile telephones or internet.

According to a city study, Paris-based cars spend 95 percent of their time parked. Only 40 percent of owners use their cars daily. Owners are estimated to spend an average 450 euros a month on their wheels.

Delanoe says the new Autolib managing agency has been flooded with initial applications. One group includes Avis, the SNCF railway and the RATP, the Paris transport authority. Let's hope it works.

http://timescorrespondents.typepad.com/charles_bremner/2009/12/electric-cars-for-everyone-in-paris.html

Modernist block would be first in 20 years to break 37m height limit.
By Geneviève Roberts in Paris

Wednesday, 16 December 2009

The dainty pyramid outside the Louvre museum in Paris looks set to gain a giant sister. Towering at a height of 180m, the new pyramid, known as Projet Triangle, will be nine times the size of the edifice that greets visitors to the main courtyard of the Palais du Louvre.


With 50 storeys and 88,000 square metres of office space, the glass and metal structure designed by the Swiss architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron might be seen as Paris's answer to Lord Foster's Swiss Re building in the City of London, known affectionately as the Gherkin.

No skyscraper has been built in the French capital for almost 20 years, but today officials will vote on a modification to planning regulations that would enable the Triangle to be built at the Porte de Versailles, just inside the city's south-western walls.

Last summer, the Socialist Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, launched a controversial proposal to overturn a ban on high-rise buildings in a city where the Tour Montparnasse is a much-bemoaned blight on the skyline. The Triangle would be the first of six new skyscrapers to break the maximum 37m height limit on buildings.

However, Denis Baupin, the Deputy Mayor and a member of the Green Party, has criticised the proposals as "bling-bling architecture". He said: "We have already got one tower that adds to the city's radiance: the Eiffel Tower. No need for another one."

As the design has evolved, the Triangle – which would become the third-tallest structure in Paris after the Eiffel and Montparnasse tower – has gained more detractors.

The original plan to incorporate a 400-bedroom hotel was scrapped in favour of extra office space. A single panoramic lift on the north face will take visitors up to the top of the tower, as opposed to the multiple elevators that were first put forward.

Philippe Goujon, a senior official of the ruling UMP party in the Vaugirard district, or 15th arrondissement, where the Triangle will be built, said: "Now it is a simple office project with nothing very original to see."

But one of Mr Delanoë's lieutenants, Anna Hidalgo, said: "Five thousand jobs will be created and visitors will be able to go up the tower and look out over Paris. And there will be a new 8,000-metre public garden."

The 20-metre-high Louvre pyramid was almost as controversial when built in 1989. Many people felt the futuristic creation of the Chinese-born US architect Ieoh Ming Pei clashed with the palace. It has also been the subject of urban Satanic legend; some people claimed it had 666 panes of glass – a myth repeated in Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code – but it has 673.

After the vote on the Triangle, it will be the subject of a public inquiry next year. If all goes smoothly, the owner Unibail-Rodamco hopes to have it completed in 2013.

__________________________________

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/triangle-may-beat-paris-skyscraper-ban-1841998.html Link


http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/file/565637.jpg http://clement.blogs.com/thomas_clment/images/2008/09/29/triangle2.jpg http://www.webchercheurs.com/images/tour-triangle-paris-photo.JPGhttp://www.linternaute.com/paris/urbanisme/photo/projet-triangle-une-pyramide-geante-en-plein-
The Triangle, a new 50-storey building planned for the Porte de Versailles area of Paris, could be completed by 2013, but critics attack it as 'bling architecture'

Louis Vuitton Foundation

Height: 47m
Delivery: 2012
Status: U/C

16 november 2009

One of the « bigger plans » of building in France over 2009-2010, the Cultural centre of Foundation Louis Vuitton, so called Building Cloud all over its extravagant architectural form, has just taken birth physically with the beginning of jobs in September, 2009. This Cultural centre is intended to be a place of meeting between contemporary art and ancient art but also between Art and Science. Sendin partner of Baby (Puts together Vinci) has the load to put down 1500 tonnes of steel in one and a half month to remove it then 1100 tonnes on structure.
To these 2600 tonnes of H.A shall also add 600 tonnes of Welded Latticework.

http://www.egodesign.ca/_files/articles/41d_rendering.jpg Rendering by night

http://www.designaparis.com/files/post_file_25888.jpg Mock-up

Pics from the site below(mid-november 09):

http://www.sendin-sa.com/PhotosUpload/News_71_image0.jpg

http://www.sendin-sa.com/PhotosUpload/News_71_image1.jpg

http://www.sendin-sa.com/PhotosUpload/News_71_image2.jpg

Website: http://www.sendin-sa.com/english/entreprise-construction-chantier.php?destination=actualites

PS: the translation is not mine...:lol:

A new render for La Défense in 2015/2016

http://photo.lejdd.fr/media/images/jdd-paris/tour-hermitage/1532705-1-fre-FR/Tour-Hermitage.jpg
http://www.lejdd.fr/JDD-Paris/Actualite/Des-tours-jumelles-a-la-Defense-157597/

^^ So in love with those twin towers...:)

LA PHILHARMONIE DE PARIS (It's part of Le "Grand Paris" project)

http://www.philharmoniedeparis.com/images/home/25.jpg http://195.15.24.5/CEVA/menu/gares_stations_ceva/architectes/ateliers_jean_nouvel/images/jean_nouvel2 "Starchitect" Jean Nouvel
Parc de la Villette ,site of the "Philharmonie de Paris" (currently under construction.)

Renderings X2: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2382/2227840435_1597480014.jpg http://www.future-is-now.info/uploads/1/2/8/1/1281974/1324282.jpg

PS:No pictures yet but as soon as I have some,I'll post them:)

(Video already posted on the french forum)

VIDEO http://www.lemoniteur.fr/157-realisations/article/actualite/681290-la-tour-du-campus-de-jussieu-renait-dans-le-ciel-parisien (MUST SEE:banana:)


VIDEO 2 http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xawba5_lupmc-fete-900-ans-denseignement-su_news (20/10/09)

http://www.capital.fr/var/cap/storage/images/media/images/photo-v2-457x222/tour-de-jussieu-imobilier/4656736-1-fre-FR/tour-de-jussieu-imobilier_large.jpg

PS:the Zamansky tower is 95m high.

France's defence minister on Thursday unveiled plans for a "Pentagon à la française", a centralised command and control centre based in Paris complete with bunker(delivery:2014)

27 Mar 2009

The defence ministry centre will bring together 10,000 staff from 15 separate command centres of France's air, land and sea forces into one compound in the south of Paris known as "le Pentagone".

The building, to be complete by 2014, will be a "major architectural gesture" and one "worthy of the 21st century and of the planet's fourth military power," said Hervé Morin, the defence minister.

Mr Morin and his aides will for the first time leave the ornate salons of the Hôtel de Brienne, the building where Charles de Gaulle set up his power base after the liberation of Paris, for the characterless Balard district next to the capital's southern ring road.

The aim, said Mr Morin, was to "create all the conditions for teamwork".

While the armed forces worked "together in operational theatres around the world", he said they were isolated "at the central level" in different "chapels".

He will be joined by the chiefs of staff of all the armed forces. The planning and operational command centre, which is today located in a bunker under boulevard Saint-Germain, will relocate there.

The cost of the new Pentagon will be 600 million euros (£560 million). The ministry will recoup money by selling off 12 of its former sites, but will keep hold of les Invalides, the Ecole Militaire and the recently restored Hôtel de la Marine on the Place de la Concorde.

http://photo.parismatch.com/media/photos2/actu/monde/pentagone-vue-aerienne/1142853-1-fre-FR/Pentagone-vue-aerienne_scan_photo.jpg Will the French Pentagon be looking like the american one or not at all...?:)

http://referentiel.nouvelobs.com/file/661099.jpg "Balard",future site where the french Pentagon will be built.

PS: 3 architects have been selected to design the french Pentagon: Foster et Partners for the Eiffage group,Dominique Perrault, for Vinci Concessions and Michelin & Wilmotte for Bouygues.

9 designs were actually issued but:
3 designs will be released in february 2010(from the 3 different architecture companies) and in January 2011 the winning design will be officially unveiled.

Demolition work: 2010
Construction work:2012
Delivery :2014

^Intriguing...

Never heard of France getting its own Pentagon. Specifically where in the Paris Metropolitan Area is it going to be built? They should have selected a different shape, like a hexagon or an octagon? It's probably going to end up a white elephant.

It will not be pentagon-shaped! It's called "le Pentagone" by the media because like its american counterpart, it will bring together the command centres of air, land and sea forces scattered all around the city. That's all!

A new render for La Défense in 2015/2016
http://photo.lejdd.fr/media/images/jdd-paris/tour-hermitage/1532705-1-fre-FR/Tour-Hermitage.jpg

Blocks the view completely. It should be built in the center of the cluster, not in front of it.

It will not be pentagon-shaped! It's called "le Pentagone" by the media because like its american counterpart, it will bring together the command centres of air, land and sea forces scattered all around the city. That's all!

Since the American pentagon is designed like these Italian pentagonal fortresses, maybe our "pentagon" would be like a star-shapped fortress that Vauban designed ;).

The building, to be complete by 2014, will be a "major architectural gesture" and one "worthy of the 21st century and of the planet's fourth military power," said Hervé Morin, the defence minister.

^^It says it all...I think we're right in saying that we might get something great...I'm pretty sure that the "Pentagon" will actually be a "hexagon"(would be logical)...

I look forward to finding this out...:) We now have to wait until Februray 2010 to take a closer look at the 3 selected projects.

Aux Armes...... :horse: !!!

:D

I hope this Pentagon won't be on the current site of any good-looking buildings. It is undetermind if the Pentagon will actually be one of Paris's new landmarks of the future or a waste of space.

Some pictures of the Paris Philarmonie under construction that I took today.

http://i49.tinypic.com/30lz9s6.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/35d56gy.jpg

http://i47.tinypic.com/ddg61f.jpg

http://i49.tinypic.com/2v17le9.jpg

http://i48.tinypic.com/2emkaqr.jpg

That's how it'll look when completed:
http://images.businessweek.com/story/07/popup/0424_symphony_hall_1.jpg

http://www.linternaute.com/savoir/magazine/photo/jean-nouvel-a-travers-ses-oeuvres/image/philharmonie-paris-296191.jpg

The architect, Jean Nouvel:
http://images.businessweek.com/story/07/popup/0424_symphony_hall_2.jpg

It frankly has the potential to be the new Bilbao Guggenheim of Europe.

Thanks for the pictures brisavoine!
This will really become,together with Louis Vuitton Foundation, a new symbol for modern Paris.
My only wish was to see Morphosis' tower in La Defense U\C at the the same time these ones...it would be a trinity of contemporary architecture :D

^^Thank you very much indeed Brisavoine for those great pics,I'm getting emotional...:)!!!!:master:

It just shows the size of it...:omg:

Now,may the "Philarmonie de Paris" take shape! :banana:

:wave:

Two feasibility studies for investor LUXINVEST in Issy, south-west of Paris:

- Manuelle Gautrand:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4067/4270037138_c57a4e6112_o.jpg

- PCA (Philippe Chiambaretta):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2754/4270037312_541199c3d6_o.png
(The two towers in the background are part of another project)

Height is not given. We can guess around 180 or 200m.

Outstanding designs! :uh:

Apart from the base,the first project is quite ordinary and boring.
The second one seems a lot better.It reminds me some projects by Steven Holl.

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4067/4270037138_c57a4e6112_o.jpg





Can't help thinking of the fallen NYC WTC with this deconstructivist bent metal design at the base.

The first project looks better then the second one. BUT I don't think it would fit the area.. For some reason I think it would be perfect in an american city but not in the Paris Area. The second one fits the area better if you consider the other projects for the suburb of Issy les Moulineaux: the "Pont d'Issy" Towers ( that you can see on the second render behind the tower )

Thanks "Bnmaddict" for that information.

I love Manuelle Gautrand's tower,very beautiful design,and the folded base indeed is stunning.Now whether it would fit or not in the Issy area is another debate.Does one know how tall it would stand?
The other project (PCA) is interesting as well, I like buildings with some holes and big spaces on their facades,it's not that common.It would blend in pretty well given the "Tour du Pont d'Issy" nearby ,"NvKR" is right.

Two feasibility studies for investor LUXINVEST in Issy, south-west of Paris:

- Manuelle Gautrand:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4067/4270037138_c57a4e6112_o.jpg

- PCA (Philippe Chiambaretta):

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2754/4270037312_541199c3d6_o.png
(The two towers in the background are part of another project)

Height is not given. We can guess around 180 or 200m.

The second one is great. I love the base of the first tower, but then it turns out to be way too boxy at the top. However it is MASSIVE!!! :cheers::cheers::cheers::cheers:

http://photo.lejdd.fr/media/images/jdd-paris/tour-hermitage/1532705-1-fre-FR/Tour-Hermitage.jpg
^^

Is there anybody gifted enough to actually modify that render by moving "Hermitage Plaza" to the back (right hand side behind "Phare" tower)?

and

another go by putting those twin towers on either side of the Arche de La Défense?

I think it would be worth doing it to see the final result,it might surprise most of us in a good way IMO!

I would be very grateful if you guys can make it(I already asked my compatriots on the french forum but they appear to be as ignorant as I am as far as computers are concerned:lol:)

I rely on you guys!:okay:

This might be possible if you have the same photo without Hermitage Tower.

This might be possible if you have the same photo without Hermitage Tower.

http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/2160/skyline2012rp8.jpg

I found the same kind of render without Hermitage Plaza (but with,unfortunately, Signal which is now pretty much cancelled:))

and here's another: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/111/315858620_4f21777095_o.jpg

I hope it helps dude,if not,I'll try to find some more.Thank you very much indeed :cheers2:

The new population figures for Greater Paris were published today. On January 1, 2009, the Greater Paris region (Île-de-France), which is slightly smaller than the Paris metropolitan area, had 11,746,000 inhabitants. That's an increase of 73,500 inhabitants in 1 year.

Source: INSEE

nhyX-dUxHp0

http://www.wat.tv/video/dans-entrailles-tour-first-1j70k_1j6xr_.html (http://www.wat.tv/video/dans-entrailles-tour-first-1j70k_1j6xr_.html)

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph7788.jpg FIrst on 18/01/10

____________________________________________________

27/01/10

SIGNAL TOWER (301m) officially CANCELLED (no investors)

http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/2370_3_Tour%20Signal%203%20big.jpg
http://cache.20minutes.fr/img/photos/20mn/2008-05/2008-05-27/diapo_signal1.jpg

Tour Signal was hideous anyway. Save the site for a better design.

canceled this tower i think

Thank God that s*** was cancelled.
They could build Libeskind's proposal there...I guess it was proposed for the same lot.

On Wednesday, Joëlle Ceccaldi-Raynaud (the new Epad president) announced that 5 new towers had been officially approved.

She confirmed the beginning of work for Carpe Diem tower in February 2010.

She also announced the signature of 4 sales promises on 26 january 2010 for (Générali, Aire 2, D2 and Majunga) whose work is to start this year.

Furthemore,she added that Phare was postponed (Unibail-Rodamco are willing to fully focuse on Majunga for the time being) , and Ava is frozen owing to a legal remedy.

As far as "Signal"(newly cancelled) , she now wishes to reorganise an architecture contest for a new project on the same site by declaring that she 'd like one by Jean Nouvel more opened over Puteaux,to be built in La Défense.

Approved towers:

http://www.linternaute.com/savoir/grand-chantier/photo/les-projets-de-tours-en-france/image/tour-carpe-diem-371400.jpg "Carpe Diem",166m
http://www.cyberarchi.com/images/articles/12816_01_z.jpg "Générali",265m
http://www.cyberarchi.com/images/articles/12257_09_d.jpg"Aire2",220m

http://www.linternaute.com/savoir/grand-chantier/photo/les-projets-de-tours-en-france/image/tour-d2-370944.jpg"D2",180m
http://www.lemoniteur.fr/media/IMAGE/2010/01/27/IMAGE_2010_01_27_1032487.jpg"Majunga",205m
http://www.viguier.com/fichiers/projets/52_m.jpg

http://www.defense-92.com/lesnewsdeladefense.html (http://www.defense-92.com/lesnewsdeladefense.html)

http://fmcblogs.typepad.fr/photos/uncategorized/2008/04/15/majungarendu1.jpghttp://www.lemoniteur.fr/media/IMAGE/2009/10/14/IMAGE_2009_10_14_1005049.jpghttp://www.lemoniteur.fr/media/IMAGE/2010/01/27/IMAGE_2010_01_27_1032487.jpg

Is it just the angle, or does D2 seem somewhat similar to The Gherkin in London?

^^ Both !
Indeed the angle can help but anyway it is similar, just like (imo) the Jean Nouvel's tower in Barcelona.

As I already wrote in another thread a couple of months ago, I think there are some serious candidates for "the most phallic tower contest" around Europe :ohno: !!!! :lol:

Is it just the angle, or does D2 seem somewhat similar to The Gherkin in London?

Like Parcdesprinces said, it depends on the angle indeed but overall I think that D2 looks a lot different as you can see below:

http://www.defense-92.fr/photos/ph4029.jpg http://www.defense-92.fr/photos/ph4030.jpg

I personally LOVE it and I really look forward to its construction. D2 's gonna bring something new(erotic?) to the Défense's skyline IMO 'cause I'm really sick and tired of those square shaped towers that all look alike.

Paris sure loves to propose buildings.

^^ What did you mean buddy, 'cause I'm not sure...

I think you know what i mean.

it's just the way you worded your sentence which probably wasn't clear to him. You must have meant that Paris is booming with new proposals or something along that line. I certainly knew what you meant.

^^No, that's not what he meant. It's a sarcasm saying that Paris loves to propose buildings without having any actual intents to build them... Many proposed buildings in Paris get canceled due to economic reasons, of course.

And he's got a point, if there's no construction behind there's no point in proposing but wasting money with silly renders.

remember : wasting money with silly renders is still ART. :)

^^No, that's not what he meant. It's a sarcasm saying that Paris loves to propose buildings without having any actual intents to build them... Many proposed buildings in Paris get canceled due to economic reasons, of course.

Well OK, I'm not from Paris so I wouldn't know that some of the stuff proposed is lttle more than a pipedream, although to be fair I've seen some progress

Pictures originally posted by Manuel on the french speaking forum:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4072/4338344873_21fb8c9872_o.jpg

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4040/4339182528_5f8289fcfd_o.jpg
________________________________________________________________

10 FEBRUARY 2010

PHARE TOWER:new renderings originally posted by JP (french forum)

http://morphopedia.com/uploads/6.11-Vue_09_Visuel_09-l.jpg

http://morphopedia.com/uploads/6.5b-Vue_17_Nuit-l.jpg

http://morphopedia.com/uploads/6.14-00_Vue_03_V04-l.jpg

http://morphopedia.com/uploads/6.12-00_Vue_04_V02-l.jpg

http://morphopedia.com/uploads/6.6b-Vue_02_visuel02-l.jpg

http://morphopedia.com/uploads/6.1-Vue_01_visuel01-l.jpg

http://www.morphopedia.com/uploads/6.2-Vue_03_visuel03-l.jpg

http://morphopedia.com/uploads/6.7-Vue_16_Berkeley-l.jpg http://morphopedia.com/uploads/6.9-Vue_11_visuel11-l.jpg
________________________________________________________________
Drawing posted on the french forum by Cyril:

http://morphopedia.com/uploads/axoSE-l.jpg

________________________________________________________________
I'm loving it!:banana::cheer:

_____________________________________________________________

Phare Tower - Light Simulation (Initially posted by Cyril)

VIDEO http://www.morphopedia.com/files/phare-tower-light-simulation (http://www.morphopedia.com/files/phare-tower-light-simulation)

Me too!:banana:

wow, the light simulation is superb. I so hope that they build this one.

Photos and diagram originally posted on 22/02/10 by CYRIL (french speaking forum).

http://www.morphopedia.com/uploads/IMG_2_0500web-l.jpg

http://www.morphopedia.com/uploads/IMG_0565web-l.jpg Loving it!!!:banana:
http://www.morphopedia.com/uploads/PhareTower_EiffelTowerweb-l.jpg

It's enough to be optimistic...so, fingers crossed...:)

If they're testing the cladding, it's most likely to build something afterward.

That's what most of us (on the french speaking forum) think as well, but let's be careful though, we can't take anything for granted in Paris...you know what I mean for sure.:)

Having said that, fingers crossed...

That's good news, but whoever made the diagrams of Phare tower and the Eiffel tower above got it wrong. Phare tower is not as tall compared to the Eiffel tower as in this diagram. The ground below each tower is not at the same altitude.

I have rescaled the diagram to reflect the true altitude of the ground below each tower.

http://i50.tinypic.com/10riazq.jpg

I love Tour Phare. I think it's design is pretty unique and there is not such a high probability for it getting copied. I think it is one of those designs you have to see several times to like it. But I am sure that many Parisians will hate it. Just such a feeling I have with it.

Pictures originally taken & posted by STEPH35 (french forum)

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu358/unpieton/paris/02-1-2.jpg
Tower FIrst (middle) will soon be entirely cladded

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu358/unpieton/paris/08-1-1.jpg
Once finished, FIrst will be France's 2nd tallest tower (231m) after the Eiffel Tower of course

It adds a lot to the skyline. It provides a new point of interest, which is good because the Grand Arch can't be seen from all angles.

Note that in the pictures, the height of the New Axa Tower appears smaller than it is in reality. The reason for that is because La Défense is basically a hill, and the New Axa Tower stands at the bottom of the hill, so it looks only slightly taller than the Areva and Total towers, which are located further up the hill, when in fact it is quite taller than these towers. The true magnitude of the New Axa Tower is felt only when you stand nearby in the Avenue Charles de Gaulle in Neuilly-sur-Seine.

We won't have taller towers before a long time. What about that:

Joëlle Ceccaldi, EPAD CEO, announced no 300m tall towers would be built in La Défense area.
> http://www.monputeaux.com/2010/03/les-breves-du-conseil.html

Ok Regional elections are on the way...but still...Future does not look so bright for La Défense.

We won't have taller towers before a long time. What about that:

Joëlle Ceccaldi, EPAD CEO, announced no 300m tall towers would be built in La Défense area.
> http://www.monputeaux.com/2010/03/les-breves-du-conseil.html

Ok Regional elections are on the way...but still...Future does not look so bright for La Défense.

:banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:

Good news for La Defense.

1) Paris doesn't need skyscrapers over 250m, the Eiffel tower should always remain the highest by far.

2) The designs suck. Tour Phare is F*cking horrible it looks like a frozen banana. Generali looks half finished.

If it was up to me I would put 250m height restriction on La Defense and Paris in general. If you want more or taller skyscrapers they should be built in other major cities like Lyons or Marseilles.

There's no point in getting overexcited dude as this statement purely is stategic owing to the forthcoming regional elections. Besides, she had announced some pretty good news a few weeks ago. Furthermore, apart from Hermitage Plaza(which she had clearly mentionned by the way), there are no 300m towers anymore indeed as Signal (301m) has eventually been more or less cancelled (but a new contest is due to replace it), and as Generali (318m) and Phare (300m) have been scaled down to respectively 265m and 295m. In other words, she just played on words, or on figures in that case...

Some people really are naïve on here, the proof is I've checked some "old" threads earlier in the day and the people spending their time criticizing the projects and affirming that they'd never see the light, were often wrong...that's why most of the time I don't take into account what people say, they are no professionals, they just speculate. I just wanted to let foreigners know about it.To finish, I'd recommend people to wait & see before jumping to conclusions.

The only thing they do in Paris is "blablabla".

I am waiting to see indeed... with bated breath.

If some people are naive on here, others just pretend to predict the future by the shape of passing clouds, which is to say that really, one wonders who's outdoing the false pretense.

Archdaily (http://www.archdaily.com/51859/place-de-la-republique-mateo-arquitectura/)

Place de la République / Mateo Arquitectura

9885044

Josep Lluis Mateo / Mateo Arquitectura shared with us their entry for the restricted competition for the Place de la République in Paris, France.


Place de la République as an urban space
Increasing pedestrian space
Pavements and everyday urban uses and contacts
Spaces of movement but also of rest
The great monumental plaza also has its domestic side
The place of representation of ritual and abstraction, but also of people
At once oasis and agora


Place de la République as public space

Transforming a traffic junction into an urban space means, firstly, reducing the impact of road traffic. According to studies carried out by our traffic engineers, based on available data, it is possible to reduce 7-8 lanes to 4-5. It is also possible to avoid vehicular traffic around the monument.

Having addressed the traffic, the challenge is to transform the place into an urban space.

1. Pavements and plaza

http://www.archdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/1267729550-04.jpg

We propose a substantial increase in pavement space, concentrating all specifically urban flows (buses and taxis) around its edge. The pavement, transformed into a boulevard, would then be able to accommodate both pedestrian traffic and the kiosks and galleries that house the overflow of ground-floor businesses, as well as being a place for people to sit and rest.

The central plaza, also enlarged, would be of a different nature: a space for demonstration and representation that can coexist with the more domestic, ludic presence of nature. Monument esplanade, garden.

2. The plaza: unity and diversity

http://www.archdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/1267729539-01-model.jpg

The plaza, a long space running NW-SE, takes in three different urban moments. These characteristics call for specific attention to create a figure that is designed to be unitary but also special, contextual and varied.

2A The small salon

At its north-west point (rue Boulanger, bvd St Martin, …), the plaza meets the pre-Haussmann city, with its finer grain and less geometrical monumentality. Our response is the small salon; earth makes an appearance at ground level, with emphasis on the urban continuity of bvd St Martin-rue Boulanger. The idea of the paving is to establish continuities between the city and the plaza. Traffic, though a real presence, could be studied and eliminated at certain points to ensure pedestrian continuity.

2B The centre of the monument

The centre of the place, at present a small island amid the flow of traffic, is marked by movement. We propose constructing a base for it, a podium which, with a slight slope, accentuates the volcanic composition of the object and allows people to walk around it, establish a direct relation with it and rest in its shelter.

2C The esplanade

The most abstract boundary would be on the three-pronged Haussmann layout: bvd Voltaire, République, bvd du Temple. This is the site of the big demonstrations that characterize the place. We propose the construction of a great petrous esplanade, with a 2.5% gradient, at the far edge of which people would be naturally higher (2 m) than the traffic, which would pass under foot without being seen. A break in section near the end would allow the introduction, in the English landscape tradition, of a ha-ha, an invisible railing, offering views from the esplanade of the spectacle of the vanishing points of the boulevards, with the great petrous base as the only foreground.

The great esplanade constitutes the dialectical counterpoint with the small salon, at the same time ensuring continuity with the symbolism of the monument.

Article initially posted by Cyril, renders by clouchicloucha.

World famous french clothing designer Pierre Cardin has recently proposed his latest project "Palais de Lumière" for the île de France area, as part of the "Grand Paris". His 280 m tower which he calls "new Eiffel Tower" consists of 3 wings connected altogether by 8 discs. It would cost 2 billion euros and would require 6 years to get built.

http://www.academie-des-beaux-arts.f.../lettre_56.pdf (http://www.academie-des-beaux-arts.f.../lettre_56.pdf)

http://s2.noelshack.com/uploads/images/1983207789387_pierre_cardin.jpghttp://s.tf1.fr/mmdia/i/81/1/pierre-cardin-2825811wpgtg_1379.jpgPierre Cardin

No matter what this project becomes, this tower's design is amazing...

http://www.palaislumiere.eu/index.php (http://www.palaislumiere.eu/index.php)"Light Palace"'s official website (posted by Cyril)

"Tour Horizons",90 m, currently under construction:

http://i663.photobucket.com/albums/uu358/unpieton/paris/05-1-1.jpg
Picture by Steph35

http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/8983/dsc01955uw.jpgPicture by Alexandre Haas

http://www.gecina.fr/fo/fileadmin/user_upload/patrimoine/196/PH/196PE01.jpg
Render of the 22 floors'"tower" or rather "Maison haute" (means "high house") according to its architect, Jean Nouvel.

8 march 2010

Pictures by Spouzzi (defense-92.fr)

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph8225.jpg http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph8219.jpg

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph8216.jpg http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph8208.jpg

I'm sorry but that cladding just looks cheap and nasty....

I know its a subjective opinion at the end of the day, but why does La'defense seem to get the cladding so wrong on its towers????.

Don't be sorry..it really IS terrible. La Défense aims at being the like of The City of London ...but with low quality designed and cladded towers. ROFL. It will remain a second league office neighborhood unfortunately.

Don't be sorry..it really IS terrible. La Défense aims at being the like of The City of London ...but with low quality designed and cladded towers. ROFL. It will remain a second league office neighborhood unfortunately.

Well the city of London can and does get it badly wrong on occasion as this pile of crap proves..:ohno:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a164/TheOriginalCooper/1-2.jpg

But disasters like this seem to be the exception rather than rule...

Its a shame, because if La Defense put as much effort into the exterior cladding/materials and detailing, as it does the density, i wouldn't hesitate to say it was the best looking skyline in Europe, but as soon as you actually see the buildings up close, as i have done, you cant help but come away disappointed.

Anyway, like i said, its all a subjective opinion, i'm sure a lot of people think the quality of cladding and materials are just fine...

It's very subjective indeed Xfire101, I personally like FIrst very much. To be honest St Botolph's House is not an isolated case I'm afraid...one cannot frankly say than the buildings' cladding below is a success...

http://i47.tinypic.com/20haqv6.jpgHeron

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/4787/dsc0163pc8.jpgPan Peninsula

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e3/40_Bank_Street_Heron_Quay_London.jpg/382px-40_Bank_Street_Heron_Quay_London.jpg40 Bank Street

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/1CanadaSquare.jpg/419px-1CanadaSquare.jpgCanary Wharf

Fornunately Strata, Gherkin, Tower 42 all look great , and Pinnacle , Shard, Beetham or yet Riverside South appear to be really promising as well.

Sorry, unintentional double post.

Pierre Cardin should stick to clothes.

It looks visionary and all, but there's a reason so many futuristic ideas remain stalled on their sketching boards.

I think, that the Pierre Cardin Tower fits more to Dubai, than to Paris.

There's no point in getting overexcited dude as this statement purely is stategic owing to the forthcoming regional elections. Besides, she had announced some pretty good news a few weeks ago. Furthermore, apart from Hermitage Plaza(which she had clearly mentionned by the way), there are no 300m towers anymore indeed as Signal (301m) has eventually been more or less cancelled (but a new contest is due to replace it), and as Generali (318m) and Phare (300m) have been scaled down to respectively 265m and 295m. In other words, she just played on words, or on figures in that case...

Some people really are naïve on here, the proof is I've checked some "old" threads earlier in the day and the people spending their time criticizing the projects and affirming that they'd never see the light, were often wrong...that's why most of the time I don't take into account what people say, they are no professionals, they just speculate. I just wanted to let foreigners know about it.To finish, I'd recommend people to wait & see before jumping to conclusions.

I should oppose that decision on the 300-metre height limit. What about the Hermitage Towers? They're going to be affected by the height limit, and if they don't get constructed, then that apartment complex (which shouldn't have been constructed in the first place) remains with its low-budget exterior facade. I know that supertalls will possibly take some prominency from the Eiffel Tower, but I would think about changing the Generali Tower's height to the Eiffel Tower's antenna height.

1 Canada Square, and the Heron Tower have top quality cladding.

It's very subjective indeed Xfire101, I personally like FIrst very much. To be honest St Botolph's House is not an isolated case I'm afraid...one cannot frankly say than the buildings' cladding below is a success...

http://i47.tinypic.com/20haqv6.jpgHeron

Yes, one can. It looks fantastic on three sides, and the southern face, although not as visually interesting as the northern, still appears to be very high quality and helps to power the building itself. It's basically a big solar panel.

I've seen the other three in the flesh and they all seemed to have high quality facades.

I think, that the Pierre Cardin Tower fits more to Dubai, than to Paris.

I do agree with you, that's what I said to myself as well.

I should oppose that decision on the 300-metre height limit. What about the Hermitage Towers? They're going to be affected by the height limit, and if they don't get constructed, then that apartment complex (which shouldn't have been constructed in the first place) remains with its low-budget exterior facade. I know that supertalls will possibly take some prominency from the Eiffel Tower, but I would think about changing the Generali Tower's height to the Eiffel Tower's antenna height.

This is what the new EPAD president Joëlle Ceccaldi-Raynaud (EPAD is the organisation running the Défense district) declared today:

La présidente de l’Epad et maire de Puteaux (Hauts-de-Seine), Joëlle Ceccaldi- Raynaud, se rendra mardi prochain à Cannes pour le Mipim, le rendezvous international de tous les acteurs de l’immobilier. Elle entend convaincre les investisseurs de l’intérêt du plan de renouveau de la Défense prévoyant à l’origine la construction de 450 000 m2 de bureaux dans le plus grand quartier d’affaires d’Europe.

Que deviennent les projets de la tour Signal et de la tour Phare ?

L’Epad a reçu une lettre des Ateliers Jean Nouvel par laquelle ils renoncent effectivement au projet de la tour Signal, faute d’investisseurs. Un nouvel appel à projets va être mis en place. Nous ne renonçons nullement à réaliser un immeuble pionnier qui fera figure d’étendard du renouveau de la Défense. Je reste disposée à entamer de nouvelles discussions avec les Ateliers Jean Nouvel pour un autre projet. Pour la tour Phare, malgré les très nombreuses contraintes techniques, elle verra le jour. Nous travaillons en toute confiance avec Unibail. Ce projet à la fois spectaculaire et innovant en matière de développement durable tiendra toutes ses promesses.

Quels autres projets allezvous présenter pour relancer l’avenir de la Défense ?
J’évoquerai deux opérations futures. D’une part, le Stade de l’Arena 92 de 30 000 places sera l’équipement multimodal le plus moderne d’Europe, juste derrière la Grande Arche. L’impact économique sera énorme, avec la création de plus de 2 500 emplois et plus de 23 millions d’euros de retombées touristiques pour la Défense. D’autre part, les deux ZAC du rond-point des Bergères avec un éco-quartier autour du rond-point des Bergères. Ces ZAC, une municipale et l’autre Epad, vont s’étendre sur 10 hectares et demi.

Les projets des tours les plus hautes sont-ils réalisables ?

Du haut de ses 231 mètres, la tour First sera la plus haute de France. Mais elle sera dépassée par la tour Phare qui atteindra les
300 mètres, puis les tours jumelles Hermitage-Plaza. Ces grandes tours se dresseront bel et bien dans le ciel de la Défense. On ne peut donc pas dire que nous renonçons à nos ambitions.

To sum up: she will be going to Cannes next tuesday on the occasion of the MIPIM (international housing show or whatever you call it in english) to try to convince some more investors about the "plan de renouveau de La Défense".

Regarding the Signal tower, she confirmed that the EPAD had received a letter on behalf of the Jean Nouvel Cabinet saying that they renounced the project owing to a lack of investors (no surprise, we all knew that.)She added that a new request for proposals will be launched to build a "pioneer building" (standard bearer) symbolizing the "renouveau de la Défense", furthermore, she's willing to carry on discussing the new project with Jean Nouvel.

As far as the tour Phare is concerned she says: "despite the very numerous technical restrictions, it will see the light. We've been working with Unibail confidently. This project both spectacular & innovative in terms of sustainable development will fulfil all its promises.

The EPAD president will also be presenting the Arena 92 project, a 30 000 seat stadium which will be the most modern multimodal facility in Europe just behind the Grande Arche.

http://courbevoie.blogencommun.fr/wp-content/uploads/stade-arena-92.jpghttp://www.central-parc.fr/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/arena92-300x176.jpg
Arena 92

Finally, regarding the tallest projects she goes: " FIrst will be the tallest building in France before being exceeded by Phare 's 300m and then Hermitage Plaza. The twin towers will well & truly be standing in the Défense'sky. So, one cannot say we're renouncing our ambitions."

Not only Phare is confirmed but so is Hermitage Plaza.

^^As far as I know that's indeed what the article clearly says Matthieu...:)

They're going to build that stadium in a cemetery? La Defense has limited land for expansion, they shouldn't even think about building a stadium. Were those cemeteries built as part of the La Defense project? They look well-organised. Why are the cemeteries going to be removed? We can't touch a cemetery for building dedevelopment.

^^ No, the stadium will be built just next to the cemeteries (which are much older than la Défense BD is; they were built in the late 19th century) !

Early 1960s:
http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/5994/capturedcran20100313082.jpg


-----------------------------------------------------


Stadium location:
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/1369/capturedcran20100313080.jpg http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/492/capturedcran20100313073.jpg


La Défense is a very clever choice, from the owner of the team (who will foot the bill btw: €200M), since it's already very well served by numerous public transport lines (Suburban trains/RER/Métro/Tram/Buses).

Moreover, the area needs that kind of projects, for the people (potential customers) they can attract, that's why the arena would include many office spaces, several restaurants/bars & commercial/entertainment areas, in addition of its large corporate/hospitality facilities....




Location: Paris (Nanterre/La Défense), Ile de France
Name: "Arena 92" (New Stadium)
Tenant: Racing-Métro 92, Rugby (formerly Racing-Club de France)
Capacity: 30/32,000 seats (many Business seats/suites/skyboxes)
Opening: 2013
Cost: €200-220M (100% Private)
Retractable Roof + mobile tiers
Renewable energy (photovoltaic cells)
Rainwater collection system

(Euro 2016 ex-candidate Stadium)

http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/6794/articlestade2copie.jpg http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/7525/80satdejpgauto63040590c.jpg

http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/8959/stadearena92copie.jpg http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/4132/image5sqg.jpg

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/6020/image1oxy.jpg
http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/8227/image2txu.jpg
http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/8667/image3cpr.jpg

They're going to build that stadium in a cemetery? La Defense has limited land for expansion, they shouldn't even think about building a stadium. Were those cemeteries built as part of the La Defense project? They look well-organised. Why are the cemeteries going to be removed? We can't touch a cemetery for building dedevelopment.

Come on buddy...how could such an idea even cross your mind? I hope you realize how surreal your question is...:hilarious

A stadium in a graveyard might disturb the dead.

Yes, I could see them banging against the floor. "Can you keep the noise down?! Trying to sleep in here!" :lol:

Anyway, I like the stadium. Looks very cool.

Or, during David Guetta's concerts, old grandpa's corpse might a change to scoop at all these teenagers' asses.

It sucks, don't build a stadium next to a graveyard.

Everytime there is a soccer match hooligans will cause damage to graves.
Everytime there is a party, young poeple will puke on graves and do all kinda crazy stuff to damage the graves.

This stadium will increase vandalism.

Everytime there is a soccer match hooligans will cause damage to graves.


:nono:

It will never host a football game !!!!! :D

It's a RUGBY Stadium :) !

^^ It does make a difference...I think we should have been clearer right from the start!:lol:

It sucks, don't build a stadium next to a graveyard.

Everytime there is a soccer match hooligans will cause damage to graves.
Everytime there is a party, young poeple will puke on graves and do all kinda crazy stuff to damage the graves.

This stadium will increase vandalism.

I'm sorry, but that made me laugh :lol:

Designed by the Paris-based architect Manuelle Gautrand, for the french retail group Auchan, this 450,000 m² leisure and shopping center, dedicated to european cultures, is part of the Triangle de Gonesse planning project between Le Bourget and CDG airports, along the A1 motorway.
An article about it (in French) : http://www.lemoniteur.fr/155-projets/article/actualite/699312-city-of-europa-un-symbole-architectural-du-grand-paris-signe-manuelle-gautrand-pour-le-groupe-auchan

http://www.lemoniteur.fr/media/IMAGE/2010/03/12/IMAGE_2010_03_12_1673252.jpg

http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/5757/trianglegonesse3.jpg

A Bird’s Eye View of the Triangle de Gonesse area (North is at the bottom of the picture)
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/673/trianglegonesse2.jpg

BASALTE:

Height: 52m
Length: 160m
Width: 36m
Cost : 220 m euros

This building sits atop the end of Boulevard Kupka and the link roads with La Défense's ring road (Boulevard Circulaire). It is structurally independant from the concrete covering structure of the road, carried out by the EPAD in 2008.
Designed to achieve French HQE certification (Haute Qualité Environnementale). By 2012, up to 3500 traders will be working there.

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/salledesmarche.jpg

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph8238.jpg

http://projets-architecte-urbanisme.fr/images-archi/tour-basalte-salle-marche-defense-123-architecte.JPG http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph8236.jpg

http://projets-architecte-urbanisme.fr/images-archi/tour-basalte-salle-marche-defense.JPG http://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph8235.jpg

http://www.paris-skyscrapers.fr/photos/1268328031d.jpghttp://www.defense-92.com/photos/ph8281.jpg
^^Photo by paris-skyscraper.fr

Photos by Spouzzi (defense-92.fr)

Published on 16-03-2010 by Skyscrapernews.com


Although most of the projects announced over the past couple of years for the La Defense CBD in Paris have fallen by the wayside thanks to the lack of funding and tenants, one development that is seizing the day is the Tour Carpe Diem.

http://www.skyscrapernews.com/images/pics/2490TourCarpeDiemToBeginConstructionInParis_pic1.jpg

With a distinctive faceted look, a height of 166 metres and 38 floors, the 45,466 square metre building will offer work space for 2,800 employees in the glass-clad tower. The building has been designed to respond intelligently to the natural environment without the need for air conditioning.

The southern façade that will get the most solar gain will be clad in a triple glazed skin complete with a silkscreen finish to help reflect the sunlight but preserve the transparency of the glass. Built into the exterior of the building will be vents that can be automatically adjusted to allow the natural circulation of air throughout depending on the requirements placed on it by the temperature that particular day.

With horizontal louvres helping to provide solar shading on this side of the building, and vertical louvres on the west and eastern faces. Only the north side will be fully exposed to the sun although it is this face of the tower that will get the least solar gain.

Site clearance has now begun on the low-rise building that occupies part of the site, although full-scale demolition will not commence until the summer of 2010. However, with all the necessary permits obtained from the French authorities the final bureaucratic hurdles to full on construction have been cleared.

The building has been designed by Robert AM Stern Architects and is being developed by American property group Hines for the British insurance giant Aviva. It is expected to be complete in 2012.


Link: http://www.skyscrapernews.com/news.php?ref=2490

La Défense model at the MIPIM in Cannes (Pics from www.defense-92.com):

http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/9661/ph2k.jpg

http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/2834/ph1.jpg

What is that boxy white tower on the left of the second picture :? It looks like it is about 200m tall.

^^ I'm not sure, but this could be the real-estate project planned by the Racing-Métro's owner, and included with the Arena 92 in order to increase its profits. Besides, this tower is located on the site (Stade des Bouvets) that they want to buy :?...

So, that's maybe why the tower looks boxy and "schematic", since the bidding has not begun....

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/1369/capturedcran20100313080.jpg

This tower already appeared in some old (prior to the "Plan de relance") renders showing potential tower locations ...

Published on 16-03-2010 by Skyscrapernews.com

Although most of the projects announced over the past couple of years for the La Defense CBD in Paris have fallen by the wayside thanks to the lack of funding and tenants, one development that is seizing the day is the Tour Carpe Diem.

^^ You'll have to give me the name of the ignorant journalist who wrote that inanity (in red)...that bloke had better enquire properly before publishing false information!

Indeed, most of the projects announced over the past couple of years for the La Défense in Paris have NOT fallen wayside at all...

As you exactly said dude, Carpe Diem has officially started late february 2010(render below):
http://www.julielambert.fr/wp-content/uploads/2008/03/tour-carpediem.jpg

Regarding the following projects, D2, AIR2, Ava, Generali, they have now all obtained their building permit/planning permision. Majunga was also granted permission and a sale promise has been signed:
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:z32HMgaJRPgLPM:http://www.defense-92.com/photos/d2vue.bmp http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:bUuhvFcfLqu0QM:http://www.casimages.com/img/jpg/0710090900091369859.jpg http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:3yTvFxPK3mj8kM:http://www.lemoniteur.fr/cache/09/03/09/IMAGE_2009_03_12_276917_625x600.jpg http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:a_dVJx67SSJoSM:http://www.defense-92.com/photos/112-01-Tour-Generali-V6-vue-03-12.jpg http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:0lMH5JIhB8JBVM:http://actu-architecture.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/jean-paul-viguier-tour-majunga-2.jpg

http://www.defense-92.com/photos/d2vue.bmp
^^Breaking news: the D2 tower's bill of sale has been signed today at the MIPIM in Cannes, which means its official start.It will be 180m. Works are reported to begin late 2010 :banana:.

As far Phare, the building permit application has been tabled very recently, and Emin Iskenderov Hermitage Plaza's CEO, is willing to table his by the summer.
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:dwFw1Rh-CGUWzM:http://tevami.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/phare_tower_paris_morphosis2.jpg http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:NumqOfaAg7vo6M:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3589/3347391740_c91951752e_o.jpg

Nouvel's SIGNAL TOWER has fallen wayside indeed BUT the EPAD president has announced that a new "Signal contest" will be launched.

The only projects having been cancelled owing to the crisis are CB21 & Manhattan tower below, they were both meant to undergo a height increase:
http://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:dyR0e3ZknCjoEM:http://irgendwo.free.fr/projetarchi/gan.jpghttp://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:pBicElYKz0agRM:http://i87.servimg.com/u/f87/11/77/11/01/manhat12.jpghttp://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:_DmjPR5B2_6buM:http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/5418d2bb05.jpg

lol the ignorant journalist publishing fake information you are referring to here is Gothicform ;).

EPAD should have cancelled the Air2 tower. Why did the Aurore Tower have to pass away? Good-looking facade. I haven't heard anyonein SSC say it was ugly. Another good life taken by air rights purposes.

EPAD should have cancelled the Air2 tower. Why did the Aurore Tower have to pass away? Good-looking facade. I haven't heard anyonein SSC say it was ugly. Another good life taken by air rights purposes.

Indeed, it's far from being ugly, it's actually a pretty nice looking building with a lovely coppery cladding/some nice curves, but it's no longer up to date, too "small", too old (almost 40 years old).To remain competitive, La Défense needs to destroy some ancient buildings given that there aren't many free spaces left (but there will be when the EPAD & EPASA merge...)

Air2 is nicknamed the "Tulipe"(tulip) owing to its explicit shape, it will be an amazing skyscraper.

http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/2292/air2diapoesplanadeod6.jpghttp://www.arcora.com/references/tourair2/tourair22.jpg
AIR2 tower, 220m

http://www.panoramio.com/photos/original/11994497.jpg Tour Aurore, 110m , will be demolished to make room for AIR2 which wil be twice as big

EPAD should have cancelled the Air2 tower. Why did the Aurore Tower have to pass away? Good-looking facade. I haven't heard anyonein SSC say it was ugly. Another good life taken by air rights purposes.

I agree SOOO MUCH. Aurore is a discrete icon of a specific period of La Défense. Such a shame to replace it with a dull, conservative and boxy fat thing.

http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/4950/66617540.jpg D2

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18 MARCH 2010

Against all expectations, Jean Nouvel denied having renounced his Signal Tower. Earlier in the day at the MIPIM in Cannes, the EPAD president, Joëlle Ceccaldi-Raynaud discoursed about the "renouveau de La Défense" and in particular said that the french architect and his team had sent a letter to the Epad a few weeks ago stating that they had eventually thrown in the towel owing to a lack of investors...but Nouvel amazingly clearly denied that announcement shortly afterwards and went :" the Tour Signal project will come true when the crisis drifts away".

http://www.lexpress.fr/afp/fra/photo_1268933153817-6-0.jpg Tour Signal, 301m

Unless he changes the exterior look of his tower, Nouvel doesn't seem to realize that we don't want it anymore!!!!!Besides, a new contest has been announced, so get over it Jean!!!:lol:

http://www.lexpress.fr/actualites/1/le-projet-de-la-tour-signal-de-jean-nouvel-vacille-faute-d-investisseurs_856312.html (http://www.lexpress.fr/actualites/1/le-projet-de-la-tour-signal-de-jean-nouvel-vacille-faute-d-investisseurs_856312.html)

it will be an amazing shyscraper.

:lol:
Excellent! so shy..it won't be built eventually.

^^ :lol:

Yes, it definitely will :).

The boss of Hermitage France, Emin Iskenderov, declared today that the sales of apartments and offices in the 323m Hermitage Towers will start towards the end of this year. He said many people have already expressed an interest in buying apartments in the tower, despite the fact that the sales have not yet started. The average price of the apartments will be 12,000 euros per m² (1,500 dollars per sq ft).

He also said that Hermitage will officially file a building permit before the summer of this year, and they expect to be granted the building permit by the end of this year (Iskenderov also expects the relocation of the people currently living in the council flats on site to be completed by the end of this year; half of them have already been relocated as of March 2010). Construction is due to start before the summer of 2011, and the towers are due to be completed and opened by the end of 2015-beginning of 2016.

The 30th, 31st, and 32nd floors will be open to the public and contain a panoramic swimming pool, a fitness center, a cafeteria and a restaurant. The last floors of the towers won't be open to the public.

The two towers will cost 2 billion euros.

The interview of Emin Iskenderov:
xcmucm


http://www.linternaute.com/savoir/grand-chantier/photo/hermitage-plaza-des-tours-jumelles-pour-la-defense/image/tours-hermitage-plaza-393829.jpg

http://photo.lejdd.fr/media/images/jdd-paris/tour-hermitage/1532705-1-fre-FR/Tour-Hermitage.jpg

^^Emin Iskenderov also said something about Hermitage Plaza that I ignored completely. Indeed, yesterday in Cannes he said :

«C’est notre première implantation en dehors de Russie, explique-t-il. Nous avons hésité entre la France et l’Angleterre. Notre choix s’est porté finalement sur Paris car le marché français nous semblait moins spéculatif.»

Translation: " It's our first establishment outside Russia, he says. We hesitated between France and Great Britain. We eventually directed our choice towards Paris as the french market seemed less speculative to us."

They would have looked great in Canary Wharf as well :) .

Regarding the relocation of the remaining families of "Les Damiers" (buildings to be demolished to allow the twin towers' s construction), Hermitage declared that there were only 10 families left for which a solution to relocate them hadn't been found yet.
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Source: Lefigaro.fr

http://marches.lefigaro.fr/news/societes.html?OFFSET=0&ID_NEWS=139428236 (http://marches.lefigaro.fr/news/societes.html?OFFSET=0&ID_NEWS=139428236)

Canary Wharf has a limitation of 230m or so (pretty much already topped), so it would have been built somewhere else in London.