Group

France

Aligned with the Arc de Triomphe and the Concorde obelisk, the Arche de la Défense is a gigantic 100 m wide and 110 m tall open cube clad in white marble and glass. It is horizontally linked on three levels at the base and the top by floor slabs spanning 70 m. The upper slab bears onto four 110 m long, 9.50 m high prestressed mega-beams with a clear span of 70 m cast at the top of the building using metal falsework. Faced with the constraints imposed by the overall dimensions and the narrowness of the site, its construction within very tight completion periods at a rate of one floor level every four days represented a considerable challenge. The delivery of this sculptural building took place in May 1989 to coincide with the bicentenary of the French Revolution.