Cœur Défense, Office building complex in Courbevoie, France
Cœur Défense is an office complex in Courbevoie designed by Jean-Paul Viguier and delivered in 2001. It consists of two 161-metre towers, each 40 floors and only 24 metres wide, joined along their full height so that they form Siamese twins, offset from one another. Three nine-storey buildings complete the site, and a 160,000 m² glass roof spans nine levels between the towers, forming a vast hall.
Designed by architect Jean-Paul Viguier and built by Bouygues, Cœur Défense was delivered in 2001 by the property company Unibail on the site of the former Esso Tower, the first modern structure demolished in La Défense. An earlier Viguier scheme with towers of 220 and 190 metres was approved but abandoned. In 2004 Unibail sold the complex to Goldman Sachs and Whitehall for 1.3 billion euros.
The building has an inner plaza that works as a public meeting space, with four internal passages connecting different parts of the surrounding area. You can walk through these corridors to move between sections while experiencing the central gathering point.
The complex connects directly to the La Défense Grande Arche transportation hub, making it easy to reach by public transit. The building is walkable and accessible when exploring the surrounding business district and adjacent areas.
The building uses an electronic system to control white blinds across all windows, which can be operated simultaneously. This feature allows coordinated light control across the entire façade.
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