Hermitage Plaza

Foster + Partners has unveiled its plans for two mixed-use towers in the Courbevoie district of Paris, which will be the tallest in Western Europe on completion.

Hermitage Plaza will create a new community to the east of the business district of La Défense, extending down to the River Seine with cafés, shops and a sunny public plaza at its heart.  The project incorporates two 323-metre-high buildings accommodating a hotel, spa, panoramic apartments, offices and serviced apartments, as well as shops at the base.

The result of a close collaboration with EPAD, the City of Courbevoie, Atelier de Paysage Urbain and Département de Hauts-de-Seine, the project is intended to inject life into the area east of La Défense by creating a sustainable, high-density community.

Foster + Partners said that the open layout of the building would encourage people to walk through the site: “Forming two interlocking triangles on plan, the buildings face one another at ground level, enclosing a public piazza which establishes the social focus. As they rise, the towers transform, turning outward to address views across Paris.

The ‘diagrid’ structure is not only highly efficient - doing more with less - but it emphasises the elegant proportions of the towers. Glazed façade panels catch the light, the sun animating different facets of the buildings as it changes direction throughout the day.”

These panels also contribute to the sustainability of the building for which Foster + Partners are targeting a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating. The angle of the panels promotes self-shading and vents can be opened to draw fresh air inside.“

At the base, a crystal-shaped podium building contains office space, with two detached satellite buildings housing a gallery and auditorium that further extend the public realm. The piazza – created by burying the existing busy road beneath a landscaped deck – slopes gently downward to the water’s edge, which is lined with new cafés and restaurants.

www.fosterandpartners.com