PARIS | Balardgone | 42m | U/C

[Jex7844]

'BALARDGONE'
'The French Pentagon'

Location: Balard, Paris 15th arrondissement
Architect: Nicolas Michelin & Associés
Developer: Bouygues
Floor Space: 165 000m²
Cost: 450m€

Construction work: March 2012
Delivery: June 2014

image hosted on flickr

Render, courtesy of A/NM/A

June 6th 2011
By Béatrice de Richebouet
LE FIGARO/Worldcrunch

The French Ministry of Defense lifted back the curtain this week on what is being billed as France’s version of the U.S. Pentagon, a massive compound that will group together all of the country’s various defense departments.

The structure, designed by architects Nicolas Michelin, Jean-Michel Wilmotte and Pierre Bolze, is slated for an area of southwest Paris called Balard. The three architects are partnered with Bouygues Construction, which expects to begin construction in 2012.

This huge architectural endeavor falls within the scope of the “Greater Paris” project. A closely guarded secret, Secretary of Defense Gérard Longuet went public with the basic details of the plan Tuesday. “[Balard] is a very relevant choice. We hesitated between several places, from Saint Germain to Vincennes,” he said.

The decision, two years in the making, will put the headquarters of all three branches of the French military headquarters (the Army, Air Force and Navy) under one roof. The new facility will also house the General Delegation for Armament (DGA), the Planning and Command of Operations Center (CPCO) and several other defense-related departments. The various offices are currently scattered across Paris in a dozen different sites. The Ministry of Defense occupies the opulent Hôtel de Brienne.

According to Minister Longuet, “this innovative project combines modernity and top living conditions for the 9,000 people on the site and the 4,000 people who will be working in the offices.”

In July 2009, the Ministry of Defense launched a bidding competition for the construction of its new headquarters, which will operate for 30 years as a public-private partnership. Under the rules of the competition, applicant companies were each asked to choose three teams of architects in order to guarantee the quality of the project. Eventually, the state will assume sole control over the facilities.

Three companies -- Bouygues Construction, Eiffage and Vinci -- competed for the bid. Unlike its two competitors, the winner – Bouygues Construction – was able to successfully integrate the designs presented by each of its three architectural partners: Michelin, Wilmotte and Bolze.

Not to be confused with the U.S. government’s famous five-sided military complex in Washington, the French “Pentagon” will actually be a hexagon. The winning design will soon be on display at Paris’ Cité de l'Architecture on the Trocadéro plaza.

“The idea of a central hexagon that would point out in six different directions to form small islands of buildings…came to me at the end,” said architect Nicolas Michelin.

ARTICLE HERE

Mock-up taken by Milo

Renders, courtesy of A/NM/A

The site

[joshbc]

uh la la!

[k%]

damn nice, once again... bravo Paris

[seb.nl]

oh niiiice

[Manneken3000]

a bit bisar, strange, looks gostly pale.

[Jex7844]

As a 'top secret' building, it cannot be too 'eye catching'...The architects have deliberately chosen sober materials...

[Minsk]

Perfect!

[Jex7844]

[inno4321]

good creative

[briker]

intersting and unique.

[Jex7844]

The 'Tour F' is part of the french Pentagone project (work to start soon). Its transformation is drawing to a close. Next summer the other tower under renovation ('Tour A') will also be delivered.

Tour F, before:



Tour F, now:







It's even more impressive in the flesh...I just love it . The french Pentagone whose construction is to start soon will stand just behind 'Tour F'.

http://www.batiactu.com/edito/tour-f...diap-31327.php

[moustache]

[Jex7844]

The planning permissions of all the buildings were granted on 21 february. This milestone therefore means that work is going to start shortly on the parcelle Ouest (that of the 'Hexagone').

I think it's definitely worth a banana .

http://www.batiactu.com/edito/-penta...livr-31359.php

[Jex7844]

Work has started:


















Pics taken by pityspitz

Official website ----> HERE

[Jex7844]

***Work has started!***

image hosted on flickr

image hosted on flickr

By Milo today

From march 16th to march 19th, the first crane is being assembled.

From march 19th, the deep foundation work/piling & diaphragm walls will start.

Les travaux du futur Ministère de la Défense à Balard ont commencé !

Tout au long du chantier, nous vous informerons dans nos actualités de l’avancement des travaux et des moyens mis en œuvre.

Voici les informations du mois de mars :

Semaine du 12 au 16 mars, la première grue appelée « G12 » est en cours d’installation dans la cour du bâtiment Perret.

A partir du 19 mars, les travaux de fondations profondes, de parois moulées et de pieux en béton vont commencer.

A savoir : les fondations d’un bâtiment sont les structures en béton enterrées qui vont s’appuyer sur des couches de sol inférieures suffisamment résistantes. Dans le cas du chantier Balard, ces fondations sont dites « profondes » car elles permettent d’aller chercher la couche résistante dans le sol à une profondeur adéquate et cela en traversant les couches de moindre qualité.

A partir du 22 mars, l’accès des camions sur l’avenue de la porte de Sèvres va être condamné. Les camions utiliseront les accès situés au carrefour du boulevard Valin et de la rue Lucien Bossoutrot, de façon à évacuer immédiatement vers les quais sans créer de nuisances pour les zones résidentielles.

http://www.info-chantier-balard.fr/a...ut-des-travaux

[Jex7844]

The Hexagone site, on 26 march:

Tower F, on 12 april (delivered):

Tower A, on 12 April (to be delivered in June):

Photos coming from the official website ---> HERE

[Jex7844]

The Hexagone site in May

[desi1]

Stunning pictures of the work in progress. This is going to be one of my favourite threads...
Good job Jex
Where do you get that from??

I find it amazing for a "sensitive-top-secret" project like this one to be so opened to any eye...always thought details were going to be hidden...for obvious reasons.
Good for SSC forumers

[Jex7844]

Those pics come from the official website mentioned above.

Here it is ----> HERE

I find it amazing for a "sensitive-top-secret" project like this one to be so opened to any eye...always thought details were going to be hidden...for obvious reasons.
Good for SSC forumers

It deals with the very early stages of its construction...I guess it will definitely get a lot more secret/mysterious in the next few months...

[El_Greco]

Looks interesting and somewhat reminds me of the now canceled Walbrook Square in London. It will all depend on the cladding. Thats the either maker or breaker of buildings.