La Défense

La Grande Arche de la Défense

La Défense was establised in 1951 as the prime high-rise office district of Paris where many of the city's tallest buildings can be found. The initial concept was to have 2 rows of skyscrapers of equal height. In 1964, the approved plan included 20 towers at 25 floors each. But slowly, there was a demand for taller towers and the result is a mix match of cheap buildings of different heights.

The Grande Arche de la Défense (1982-1989) was initiated by the he French president Mitterrand as modern version of the L'Arc de Triomphe. This cube-like design, by Danish architect Otto van Spreckelsen, is a 106 meters (348 ft) concrete, glass and marble white building with the middle part left open. The sides of the cube contain offices.

More about La Défense here and here.