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Phare Tower

ArtefactoryLab

A hyper green environmental tower, by Jacques Ferrier, for la Défense in Paris.


"Phare Tower" video simulates in both a realistic and dramatic way the presence of the skyscraper prototype designed by architect Jacques Ferrier’s practice in the Paris-La Défense district. In Artefactory's short video the hyper green environmental tower is presented throughout a spectacular aerial shoot that highlights the placement of the new building in the surrounding context and shows the technical features of the project as well.

The video was actually conceived to present the proposal of Jacques Ferrier Architectures practice on the occasion of an international competition launched in 2006 by Unibail-Rodamco for a 300 meters "phare" skyscraper at La Défense. In the video the tower isn’t immediately displayed: at first it appears half-seen through a glimpse between the buildings all around or reflected on their façades. The videomakers seem to point up the architect’s attempt to create a connection between the new skyscraper and the surrounding constructions. Actually the white color of the designed structure recalls explicitly the nearby CNIT building and the Grande Arche, while the open space lying below the tower seems to be a direct link and an access to the esplanade of la Défense.

Through a gradual close-up and by means of moving bottom-up, Artefactory's virtual camera explores the gigantic elliptical steel grid clad in concrete that constitutes the transparent framework of the "phare" skyscraper. The grid is positioned one meter outside the glazed fronts and provides climate control. By means of showing the ecological features of the project, Artefactory emphasizes the architect's philosophy about the creation of a sustainable architecture: solar cells that capture the sun's energy, planted greenhouses that renew the air in the office areas, even a golden dome that caps the building and conceals seven wind turbines.

With its panoramic offices, landscape belvedere and a highly performing and striking structure, Ferrier's skyscraper seems designed to be a new observation point over Paris as much as a new landmark and a "phare" for the cityscape.

Credits

Architect: Jacques Ferrier Architectures
Mentioned project: Paris La Défense Tour Phare (2006-2010)
Project location: Paris, France

France 2006
Duration: 1'31''

Selected for VISIONS, the 2009 edition of BEYOND MEDIA Festival organized by Image.