ARCH CAMPUS – LA DEFENSE

Programming a Higher School of Business in this place helps achieving the Business District of La Defense’s desire to establish new functions and populations in this areadominated by the tertiary sector. The project is located near the Grand Arch of La Defense, on exceptional ground, and is part of the greater agenda of the ‘Arena Nanterre La Defense’ urban development. To access the campus, the EPADESA public development authority (Public Development Establishment of La Defense Seine Acrh) had a gently sloped ramp built alongside the existing metal Jetty designed by Architect Paul Chemetov.

The programme encompasses 8 000 square metres (86,110 square feet) of floor space within nine levels – seven of them are dedicated to the school premises and the other two are for technical facilities. The school project envisions locating the larger premises in the center of the building, as spaces of transition and interaction – such as the cafeteria, the main hall, the amphitheatre and the study rooms.

Constraints were used to guide the project – to fit in well in a very dense area, with two main facades and multiple exits, one at each level (the Jetty, the gateway and the La Defense esplanade). Similarly, the shape and design result from different regulations constraints such as the PLU (Local Town Planning), the maximum buildable surface area per lot, and the minimum distances between facades. The cantilever was needed to bring sunlight to the facilities located in the basement, paired with needed skylights.