La Défense Grande Arche

The centrepiece of the Tête Défense, the Grande Arche, designed by Johan Otto Von Spreckelsen and completed in 1989 by Paul Andreu, stands on the historic axis of Paris. This hollow cube, 110 metres high, imposes its majestic geometric silhouette on the whole of Paris. Three decades later, Franklin Azzi is writing a new chapter in the history of the Grande Arche.

Guided by deference but also by the need to update a building that had become obsolete in its operation, the project seeks to enhance the architectural heritage superimposed on the spirit of creation and innovation that the 21st century calls for. Franklin Azzi is proposing a dialogue between two centuries, a continuity of design that reveals the original architecture, accompanies the building's transformation and anticipates its future evolution to become a destination. An interior renovation that restores the original concrete skeleton and volumes, deploying a system of microarchitecture (kiosks, furniture, etc.) within the original volumes. The result is a modular, reversible complex capable of supporting future uses over the long term.