Paris through my eyes

31636 Views 53 Replies 20 Participants Last post by Fuji, Nov 27, 2011

mlm

Discussion Starter · Jul 16, 2006 (Edited)

23

Seems like a lot of people here from SSC have been to Paris this summer, and so did I. Just got home today after 5 super days in this amazing city (my first visit btw).

Lets just get started with the photos, and since skyscrapers are the main reason why many of us are here, we just as well start in La Defense:

First the 143 m CBX Tower completed last year:

The 105 m tall Tour Sequoia:

Brand new Tour Exaltis, 70 m:

Coeur Défense x 2. Really nice tower(s). 161 m:

Tour Gan, 187 m:

The 165 m tall Tour EDF. This has to be one of my favorite towers in LD:

The 167 m tall Tours Société Générale. Also amazing tower if you ask me:

I belive the building uc in front of the towers are the Tour Granite:

Tour Areva 184 m, used to be the Tour Fiat. A bit boring but okay:

The Opus12 next to Tour EDF is also quite nice:

Tour Total Fina Elf, currently the tallest in LD with its 187 meters:

CBX Tower again:

Some random photos from LD:

The big CNIT which was one of the first new "buildings" in LD. The roof badly need to be cleaned:

The 110 m tall La Grande Arche:

I have to say I was a bit disappointed with the view from the top. I could be really nice it it was open to all 4 sides and raised a bit, but as it is now, with only the view towards central Paris open, it is kind of hard to get really good views:

Got a pano, but it has been done better. Though La Grande Arche itslef can't be blamed for the sun directly in front of me

. Click for a larger version:

Next up will be a bunch of day and night photos from around Paris, plus some Eiffel Tower fireworks shots from the bastille day. Will be posted in this thread too...

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1 - 20 of 54 Posts

staff

· #2 · Jul 16, 2006

Hoooooooot damn!
Thanks for sharing these, man. Too bad you posted your thread at the same time I posted mine, since yours will get all the attention!

La Défence looks awesome as usual, and I agree that Tour EDF is the best skyscraper in Paris - and one of the best in Europe as a whole.

Looking forward to the next set!

ch1le

· #3 · Jul 16, 2006

superb pics, but the real umf is lost because they are tiny... i so wish they were bigger, i see SUPERB pics yet im so damn unhappy they are not bigger!
But heck, they are still great!

Þróndeimr

· #4 · Jul 16, 2006

Oh damn, thats amazing!

Great/exellent quality photos mlm! All those towers and buildings looks really beautiful through your eyes.

staff

· #5 · Jul 16, 2006

^^
But not big enough, eh?

mlm

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jul 16, 2006

@ ch1le: I know about the size "problem", and also thought about it. The "problem" is that so many of these shots are vertical, so if they get much bigger many people will have to scholl most of the time..which I'm no big fan of myself. 28" pc flatscreens should be given away for free to all citizens of this world.

Þróndeimr

· #7 · Jul 16, 2006

staff said:
^^
But not big enough, eh?

Yeah, way to small of course!

Mlm, if we request large size images, do like i did with my Leksvik winter photo thread! (like this)

DenverDane

· #8 · Jul 16, 2006

Superb shots, mlm! And some great new additions to La Defense since I was there. Why can't they just build a few of these 'scrapers in Copenhagen...

alcool

· #9 · Jul 16, 2006

Beautiful buildings and photos. Thanks for sharing

Plogger

· #10 · Jul 16, 2006

Very very nice pictures mlm....

The EDF Tower is also one of my favorites! I especially remember it from my visit 4 years ago when it was a new building. I hope we will see buildings like this in Ørestad...

mlm

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jul 16, 2006

About Ørestaden: I was actually thinking about this when walking in LD. IMO they've made a big mistake in Ørestaden by making it all in "one level" (meaning all buildings are just "standing on the ground" if you get what I mean). I find it quite brilliant the way the trafic is lead under or around La Defense, and it really gives the area another dimension over places where everything is just in "one level". So much more "people friendly" there.

I have some hopes that the new Libeskind designed area in Ørestaden will be a bit similar though (since trafic is supposed to be under ground there too).

cphdude

· #12 · Jul 17, 2006

^^We can only hope. It would be great to see ørestaden turn into something like this in the next 10 years, and use the same trick as paris and seperate the highrises from the old city...

Plogger

· #13 · Jul 17, 2006

You are right mlm, there is a risk that Ørestad city cut be boring because its all in one level. And also that all the proposed highrises seems to be the same 80m tall.
But I also think that the Liebeskind Plan could improve the area and make it more interesting.
Nice also to see that the two towers in his plan are different than the other boxes we see here in Denmark..

Ringil

· #14 · Jul 17, 2006

awesome!!

AtlanticaC5

· #15 · Jul 17, 2006

Lovely pics Mikael! I really envy Paris for La Defense, so many great skyscrapers in one area. Plus it shows skyscrapers don't have to be in the middle of the old central parts, I would love scraper-areas a la LD up here in our region.

ch1le

· #16 · Jul 17, 2006

/\ but central scrapers are STILL so much better...

mlm

Discussion Starter · #17 · Jul 17, 2006

@ Atlantica: Yeah, this seems to be the way to go in many european cities. Personally this is my first visit in La Defense, and I have to say it now ranks very high on my list. Almost up there with Frankfurt, and in my opinion better than Canary Wharf. And with more towers going up at the moment it will be even better. If I have to say one bad (or less good) thing about it, it will have to be the residential buildings in LD. It's surely a good idea to have residentials buildings mixed with all the office scrapers, but most of the ones there are not exactly beauties. Actually most of them seems to be quite rundown, on the outside atleast, and could really need renovation (or demolishion to be replaced with new modern apartment buildings). Some of the smaller older towers could also use renovation, but I think that's an ongoing project.

staff

· #18 · Jul 17, 2006

ch1le said:
/\ but central scrapers are STILL so much better...

It totally depends I think. In most American cities there are highrises in the centre of the cities, but these centres or downtown cores are empty and dead most of the time (excluding the obvious ones like NYC, San Fran etc.) - more empty and dead than La Défense which is quite vibrant considering it's a bit far out from the city centre.

Skyscrapers should be located in vibrant areas where the people are, I believe.

stockholm79

· #19 · Jul 17, 2006

mlm said:
The 110 m tall La Grande Arche:

Or, as we called it in German:
Der große Arsch (the big ass) :rofl:

/or

ch1le

· #20 · Jul 17, 2006

staff said:
It totally depends I think. In most American cities there are highrises in the centre of the cities, but these centres or downtown cores are empty and dead most of the time (excluding the obvious ones like NYC, San Fran etc.) - more empty and dead than La Défense which is quite vibrant considering it's a bit far out from the city centre.

Skyscrapers should be located in vibrant areas where the people are, I believe.

all true.
Its important that they wont all be office buildings, it needs to be vibrant, that means it should have a fair share of Apartment towers, cafes, restaurants, museums, parks, everything, it seems La Defense, Canary Wharf have all that, but it still lacks the central part, and that doesnt give it the full umh!
American cities work differently than European ones, not only sprawl is to blame for that, supermarkets and huge malls are also evil... In european cities the centre is the absolute centre, in the US its mearly the business centre.

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