Case Study
Tour First Paris
Tour First Paris MAJESTIC TRANSFORMATION ALONG THE SEINE RIVER Tour AXA, originally built in 1974, is located in the heart of La Défense, the business district of Paris. After three decades, it was time for a major change. The previous owners, AXA Real Estate and Beacon Capital Partners, wanted to break the continuity of the skyline and revive the area with a soaring new building. Description Their plan was ambitious. The changes needed to be dramatic, but done quickly in a congested area of Paris. Rather than demolish the existing tower, the building would be stripped down and a new tower designed and constructed around the old metal framework. All this was achieved in remarkable time – just four years, from 2007 to 2011. As the business district of Paris grew over the years, so too