Préfecture des Hauts-de-Seine, Administrative tower in Nanterre, France.
The Hauts-de-Seine Prefecture is a modern administrative building in Nanterre standing 113 meters tall across 42 floors. Its concrete structure houses eight elevators that connect different departmental service areas and office levels throughout the tower.
Architect André Wogenscky designed this administrative building, which opened in 1973 during rapid expansion of the Paris region's government facilities. It represents the modernist architectural approach chosen by France for developing its regional administration during that era.
This building shows how France designed spaces for regional government in the 1970s, with grand halls and tall ceilings meant to express official authority. Visitors walking through the main corridors can sense the formal atmosphere that defines French administrative centers.
The building is accessible on weekdays during business hours for administrative matters, though some areas may be open to public visits. It is best to check in advance which departments allow visitors and to register at the main entrance.
Parts of this building received historical monument status in 2019, making it the only prefectural administration in Paris's inner suburbs with such official protection. The grand dining hall and monumental staircases were among the spaces designated for this unusual administrative recognition.
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