CB21

When it was built in 1974, the CB21 Tower was the talk of the town. Visible from Place de la Concorde, it provoked a strong reaction from Parisians, even leading the president, Georges Pompidou, to intervene in Le Monde in favour of the urban planning of towers in the district.
CB21 is characterized by its cruciform section, but also by its structure combining a reinforced concrete core and metal floors, which themselves rest on metal posts on the façade.
Like most of the towers of its generation, it is the subject of an extensive renovation plan aimed at bringing it up to high environmental quality standards. CB21 was then the first building in La Défense's renewal plan.

A word about the architects

Founded in 1941 by Wallace Harrisson (1895-1981) and Max Abramovitz, the Harrisson and Abramovitz agency is one of the most famous on the East Coast. Active until 1976, it signed many office buildings, including the UN headquarters.
At the same time, the two architects pursued an independent career. Harrisson designed, for example, the controversial Lincoln Center in New York. Familiar with French culture, the duo was one of the first across the Atlantic to be solicited by the Epad.