La Grande Arche
La Grande Arche, or Grande Arche de la Defense, is a monument building in western Paris, France. It is almost a perfect cube – 108 m wide, 110 m high and 112 m deep.
In 1982, a national design competition was launched by President Mitterrand. The winning design, by the Danish architect Johann Otto von Spreckelsen and Danish engineer Erik Reitzel, was intended to be a late-20th century version of the Arc de Triomphe; one that celebrated humanity rather than military victories. The construction of the building was completed in 1989.
The building consists of a prestressed concrete frame and twelve concrete pillars. In between the pillars and the megastructure are a series of plates to absorb vibration. The frame is covered with 350,000 slabs of Carrara marble and 2,800 opaque glass panels.
Its form is turned at a precise angle of 6.33° about the vertical axis. This was done for technical reasons, in that transport stations and a motorway are directly beneath the Arche. In addition, the turn emphasises the depth of the monument.
Government offices are contained inside the two sides of the building, while the roof section was originally a Computing Museum and exhibition centre. However, In 2010, the museum was closed, along with public access to the roof’s viewing deck. A reopening is planned for May 2017.
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- Building of the week series.
- Buildings of the EU.
- CCTV Headquarters.
- Edificio Mirador.
- Eiffel Tower.
- Gas Natural Headquarters, Barcelona.
- Gate of Europe.
- Gate to the East.
- Ministry of Transportation Building, Georgia.
- Tempe Municipal Building.
- The Atomium.
- The Louvre.
- Unusual building design of the week.
Featured articles and news
Plumbing and heating systems in schools
New apprentice pay rates coming into effect in the new year
Addressing the impact of recent national minimum wage changes.
EBSSA support for the new industry competence structure
The Engineering and Building Services Skills Authority, in working group 2.
Notes from BSRIA Sustainable Futures briefing
From carbon down to the all important customer: Redefining Retrofit for Net Zero Living.
Principal Designer: A New Opportunity for Architects
ACA launches a Principal Designer Register for architects.
A new government plan for housing and nature recovery
Exploring a new housing and infrastructure nature recovery framework.
Leveraging technology to enhance prospects for students
A case study on the significance of the Autodesk Revit certification.
Fundamental Review of Building Regulations Guidance
Announced during commons debate on the Grenfell Inquiry Phase 2 report.
CIAT responds to the updated National Planning Policy Framework
With key changes in the revised NPPF outlined.
Councils and communities highlighted for delivery of common-sense housing in planning overhaul
As government follows up with mandatory housing targets.
CIOB photographic competition final images revealed
Art of Building produces stunning images for another year.
HSE prosecutes company for putting workers at risk
Roofing company fined and its director sentenced.
Strategic restructure to transform industry competence
EBSSA becomes part of a new industry competence structure.
Major overhaul of planning committees proposed by government
Planning decisions set to be fast-tracked to tackle the housing crisis.
Industry Competence Steering Group restructure
ICSG transitions to the Industry Competence Committee (ICC) under the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).
Principal Contractor Competency Certification Scheme
CIOB PCCCS competence framework for Principal Contractors.
The CIAT Principal Designer register
Issues explained via a series of FAQs.