Pascal

Originally the headquarters of IBM Europe, the Pascal Tower consists of two buildings of unequal heights, connected to each other by a footbridge. An architecture specific to Henri La Fonta that can be found in another commission made to the architect: the Voltaire tower.
One of the first towers erected outside the original ground plan, Pascal offers individual offices, all placed on the first day. Two floors are also reserved for meeting spaces.
The aesthetics of the buildings, with their sharp angles and non-geometric forms, are reminiscent of certain German expressionist architectures of the 1920s. The façades are clad with agglomerated granite panels. Bertrand Bonnier is in charge of the interior design. The ensemble formed by the nearby Pascal and Voltaire towers resembles a large-scale abstract sculpture.

A word about the architect

Before becoming an architect, Henri La Fonta first tried his hand at sculpture and painting. However, his training at the Camondo School led him to architecture. He gained his first experience in 1951 in Morocco as a collaborator and then returned to Paris in the 1960s. There, he worked for several design offices.
In 1977, he founded his own agency. This agency quickly established itself thanks to the creativity and conceptual rigour he demonstrated in his work. At La Défense, Henri La Fonta is, from the 1980s, the main instigator of the renewal of office buildings. The business district owes him Les Miroirs as well as the Pascal and Voltaire Towers.