La Défense 2050
The past
Emile Zola – Le ventre de Paris
(On behalf of Maria Basile) To go back in time and literature, the famous book “Le ventre de Paris” (1873) by Emile ZOLA begins with a description of market gardeners leaving in the middle of the night their homes and gardens in Nanterre to follow the historic axe to the former market halls right in … Continue reading
The 1960′s plan the next 40 years to come
In the 1960′s, society evolved and numerous projects were conceived for Paris, covering the next 40 years. We will not write about every projects and utopias that have emerged during the 60′s and the 70′s, but we will take a closer look on some significant projects, with an urban or metropolitan scale, that were designed … Continue reading
Searching for the grand composition: To the West ?
After the 1970′s struggles, La Défense’s development was invigorated by the construction of one the biggest mall in Europe, Les Quatre Temps, and the implementation of a strong cultural policy. Third generation towers were built, with a much more lenient regulation over the new towers than over previously built ones ; indeed, their shapes are … Continue reading
Paul Maymond, under city and floating city
In the 1960′s, the architect Paul Maymont proposed a plan for Paris that was based on cone-like cities with 15 to 50 000 people in each cities. A hollow column hosts the technical infrastructures (transport, water, etc…), and from this column, cables are unfolded to create a giant web that can support various buildings. The … Continue reading
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