La Grande Arche de La Défense

La Défense,... a paradise of futuristic architecture

Speaking of modern architecture... A visit to La Défense, the modern high-rise and office-tower district of Paris is an absolute must! This paradise of futuristic architecture is located beyond the arrondissements of central Paris at the start of the western outskirts of the city, beyond the last Parisian loop of the river Seine.

The main axis of La Défense lines up with the Pyramid in the Louvre, the Obelisk at Concorde, the Champs-Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe at Etoile. The Grande Arche de La Défense was built at La Defense’s western end.

The Danish architect Otto Von Spreckelsen designed the Grande Arche de La Defense. He died in 1987, two years before the Arch was completed for the 200th anniversary of the 1789 French revolution.

This huge white arche is a 106-meter high cube. Its pre-stressed concrete frame is covered with glass and Carrara marble from Italy. A glass elevator takes visitors up through the Arche’s interior space to the huge roof for a spectacular view of Paris’ center.

The middle part of the Arche is left open and the sides of the cube contain offices. The Arche is slightly asymmetrical, rotated six-degrees off center of the axis, which was not part of the original design but done so that the piles supporting the structure could avoid the network of tunnels under the site.

What makes La Défense unique is the fact that the whole concrete slab on which this mini city is built is a car-free zone! Finally a spot in Paris where one can stroll without taking the risk to be run over and without the continous sound of honking horns in your ear. All roads, parking and subway links are underground!

Definitely one of my favourite places to visit while in Paris!