New towers, new public spaces: Paris La Défense continues its transformation!

Paris La Défense is staying the course and continuing its mission to modernise and transform Europe's leading business district.

The public establishment has just completed a series of urban redevelopments around three recently delivered towers : Alto in the Seasons district (1), Trinity on the Grande Arche side (2) and Saint-Gobain on the Esplanade Nord (3).

By providing a modern setting for the new towers, Paris La Défense is also pursuing its own objectives: to reinforce the vegetation, reorganise access, facilitate pedestrian movement and smooth traffic flow. All this is done with a view to offering its employees, residents and tourists the best possible living environment. Discover the new developments!

Localisation des trois nouveaux espaces publics

At the foot of the Alto Tower, new public spaces connect the tower with the Boulevard Circulaire and the Seasons district.

Zaha Hadid Square, named after the famous Iraqi-British architect, is home to a large 2,600 sq.m forecourt and a new landscaped area. This new square provides a gently sloping link with Place des Saisons and Boulevard Circulaire. Its curved design echoes the flared shape of the Alto Tower. The steepest part of the square is organised in steps alternating layers of vegetation and foundations. The forecourt, which has a commercial space that will open in 2021, also benefits from ambient lighting integrated into the steps. The Place des Saisons, behind the Alto Tower, features a 2,400 sq.m garden with trees and new street furniture. The redesigned version of the Boulevard Circulaire and the Louis Blanc counter-alley provides a peaceful setting with a landscaped area, a line of trees, a widened pavement and a two-way cycle path. The side alley also allows for deliveries and facilitates VIP access to the Alto Tower.

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  • Zaha Hadid Square at the foot of the Alto Tower, Les Saisons district
  • Zaha Hadid Square at the foot of the Alto Tower, Les Saisons district
  • Zaha Hadid Square at the foot of the Alto Tower, Les Saisons district

At the foot of the Trinity Tower, a new name for a new urban link

Created in close collaboration by Paris La Défense, the towns of Puteaux and Courbevoie, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield and DIRIF, the Place Louise Pikovsky, on which the Trinity Tower rests, was created from scratch over seven traffic lanes. A true technical feat, the 3500 sq.m of public spaces are made up of a fertile slab and 60 planted trees. It is also an extension of the slab and an urban seam between the Carpeaux and Regnault districts, once linked simply by a metal footbridge. Design furniture in wood and vegetation contrast harmoniously with the granite floor of the square. A shop at the foot of the tower will enliven the place.

At the same time, Paris La Défense has carried out work to modernise the crossroads of the covered lanes and make them safer. The work has made it possible to calm the crossroads below the tower by calming traffic, giving pedestrians and cyclists back their place thanks to new pedestrian crossings and the creation of a cycle path. But also by greening and levelling the side alley running alongside the Leclerc residence to make it easier for people with reduced mobility to get around.

Louise Pikovsky is the name approved by the Courbevoie town council last October to pay tribute to this young Jewish woman who was deported and died in the camps in 1944.

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  • Place Louise Pikovsky at the foot of the Trinity Tower, Coupole-Regnault neighbourhood
  • Place Louise Pikovsky at the foot of the Trinity Tower, Coupole-Regnault neighbourhood
  • Place Louise Pikovsky at the foot of the Trinity Tower, Coupole-Regnault neighbourhood

At the foot of the Saint-Gobain tower, a place on a human scale

Currently being finalised, the redevelopment of the Place de l'Iris at the foot of the Saint-Gobain tower prefigures the renewal of the Corolles-Reflets-Iris district, which has been undergoing a gradual transformation for several years. Covering an area of 6,000 sq.m, it is home to more than 1,000 sq.m of planted areas and 52 trees, including Japanese cherry trees. Adorned with enlarged slabs for pedestrian comfort and wooden seating, the square harmoniously prolongs the lines of the Saint-Gobain tower. At nightfall, the lighting of the cherry trees, the integration of LED ribbons under the seats and the projection of patterns on the ground create a soothing atmosphere by guiding pedestrians towards the entrances. Already open to the public, and partially completed in front of the tower and the houses, Place de l'Iris will be completely finished in the first half of 2021.

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  • Place de l'Iris at the foot of the Saint-Gobain tower, Iris district
  • Place de l'Iris at the foot of the Saint-Gobain tower, Iris district
  • Place de l'Iris at the foot of the Saint-Gobain tower, Iris district

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