Paris-La DefenceParis- Tarihi AksParis-La Defence: Urban Development Paris-La DefenceLa Dfense is a major business district for the city of Paris (French:“Ville de Paris“) and the first major business district in Europe, bordering Neuilly-sur-Seine, west of the city itself. It is centered in an ovular freeway loop straddling the Hauts-de-Seine dpartement municipalities of Nanterre, Courbevoie and Puteaux. The district is at the westernmost extremity of Paris 10-km long Historical Axis, which starts at the Louvre in Downtown Paris and crosses the Champs-lyses and the Arc de Triomphe. Around its 100 m-high Grande Arche and esplanade (“le Parvis“), this district holds many of the Paris urban areas tallest high-rises: with its 77.5 acres, its 72 glass-and-steel slick buildings including 14 high-rises above 150 m, its 150 000 daily workers and 3.5 million square meters of office space. La Dfense is Europes largest district specifically built for business.La Dfense on the Northern circular boulevard. Esplanade La Dfense is named for the statue, La Dfense de Paris, which was built in 1883 to commemorate the soldiers who had defended Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. The name of the area sometimes causes confusion with visitors, who occasionally assume it is some kind of military zone or establishment. In September 1958, The Public Establishment for Installation of La Dfense (EPAD) was created by the state to manage and bring life to the quarter. La Dfense began designing itself: the first buildings (of which the Esso Tower was the very first) were built and began to slowly replace the citys factories, shanties, and even a few farms. The Center of New Industries and Technologies (CNIT) was built and first used in 1958. These “first generation“ skyscrapers were all very similar in appearance, limited to a height of 100 meters. In 1966, the Nobel Tower was the first office building built in the area.In the early 1970s, in response to great demand, a second generation of buildings began to appear. Unfortunately, the economic crisis in 1973 nearly halted all progress in the area. A third generation of towers began to appear in the early 1980s. The biggest commercial center in Europe (at the time), the Quatre Temps, was created in 1981. In 1982, the EPAD launched the Tte Dfense competition to find a monument to complete the Axe historique, which eventually led to the construction of Grande Arche at the west end of the quarter. During the same period, hotels were constructed, the CNIT was restructured, and in 1992 Line 1 of the Paris Mtro was extended to La Dfense, which made the area readily accessible to even more of the city. After a stagnation in new development in the mid-1990s La Dfense is once again expanding and is now the largest purpose-built business district in Europe. Important corporations headquartered at La Dfense include Cegetel, Socit Gnrale, Total, Aventis, and Arcelor. The tallest skyscraper belongs to Total, constructed in 1985. It is 187 metres high, has 48 floors, and is the second highest inhabited building in the Paris area (the first being the Tour Montparnasse; the tallest building in Paris is of course the Eiffel Tower).New high-rises of 185m are currently under construction and planned for a 2007 opening : Tour Granite and Tour T1. In December 2005, Bernard Bled, CEO & Chairman of EPAD (La Defense Management & Development Office) announced an ambitious 9-year development plan called “La Defense 2006-2015“, in which he launched high profile international competitions and/or construction greenlight of several key 300- to 320-m tall sustainable development-style skyscrapers such as Tour Signal, Tour Phare and Tour Generali. During said December 2005 Press Conference, EPAD released to the public an elaborate 3D animation film titled “La Dfense 2015“.Area specifications Divided into 12 sectors 3,500,000 square meters of offices. 1,500 businesses (of which are 14 of the 20 top national and 15 of the 50 worldwide) 150,000 employees 20,000 residents 210,000 square meters of shops (including the 120,000 square meters Quatre Temps Shopping Mall, the largest in Continental Europe) 2,600 hotel rooms 310,000 square meters of flagstone and sidewalk 110,000 square meters of greenery 60 modern art sculptures and monuments La Dfense aligned with the Palais de Chaillot. Yaacov Agams fountain. completed highrise buildings above 90m (300ft) Rank Name Built Use Height Levels Commune (municipality) metres feet 1 Tour Total 1985 office 187 614 48 Courbevoie 2 Tour Areva 1974 office 184 604 44 Courbevoie 3 Tour Gan 1974 office 179 587 44 Courbevoie 4 Tour Alicante (Socit Gnrale) 1995 office 167 548 37 Nanterre Tour Chassagne (Socit Gnrale) 1995 office 167 548 37 Nanterre 6 Tour EDF 2001 office 165 541 41 Puteaux 7 Cur Dfense 2001 office 161 528 40 Courbevoie 8 Tour Assur