La Défense 2

The triumphant modernist President Georges Pampidou pronounced in 1970 that “there is no modern architecture without towers.” La Défense his promised “forest of towers” is a testament to his undying faith in the promise of rapid modernization.



The CNIT, the iconic building of the first wave of building (pictured above) still stands, however, many of the first modernist buildings such as Gréber’s 1958 ESSO Tower, have been demolished and replaced by larger, higher ground rent producing, office buildings. Gréber’s square, mid-sized, early modernist frame has been replaced by the massive, and uncompelling Coeur de Défense Tower.



Pampidou was not the only President to show a preference for large scale projects. Successive Presidents would seek out further their own grands projets: for Gistard le Musée d’Orsay; for Mitterrand the Bastille Opéra (designed (as my Grade 10 French teacher pummeled into us during obsessing airing of TV5 “Club Sandwhich” episodes) by Canadian Carlos Ott). Not to be outdone by his predecessors, the work-harder-preaching Sarkozy renewed his commitment to a renewal program set into course in 2005-2006. Sarko reinforced his plan for an extensive expansion of La Défense, urging the state-owned site manager EPAD to fund and direct a massive building program on the site, in partnership with the region, the RATP, and the SNCF. La Défense would be Sarko's very own own imprint on the Parisian landscape.