Grande Arche de la Defense

This business centre and residential quarter in the Western outskirts of Paris, consists mainly of modern towers and buildings where the 20’s most powerful French enterprises have their main office. It started to be built in 1958 to direct business development away from historic Central Paris.  About 150,000 people work at Défense.

With its Grande Arche (its centerpiece) la Défense is at the end of a long axe with a perspective beginning at Louvre Museum, along Champs Elysées. Arc de Triomphe is aligned with Grande Arche. The Grande Arche itself was completed in 1989 and is a near perfect cube (110 meters high, 108 meters wide, and 112 meters deep). The view of paris from Arche Elevator.is spectacular.

A 300 meter tower, La Tour Signal, designed by Jean Nouvel is under construction. When finished, in 2013, it will reaffirm Défense as a vibrant Parisian life center outside of the old traditional city of Paris.