:previous: The redefined environmental standards are officially the main reason for the latest renovations. The brand new claddings and interior fittings would be significantly more energy efficient than older ones. So although some older buildings yet insteresting should be preserved, businesses generally don't want to stay in obsolete towers. They want the latest thing to cut their energy bills and say - see how green we are! the building we live in fulfills the commitment to save Earth.

Besides, the district wasn't aging well as too many buildings of the 60s-70s in Paris look bad nowadays. So all operations going on are to bring more modernity and dynamism. It's either being on the move or declining, an easy choice to make.

Within the neighborhood of Carpe Diem and D2 currently U/C and of Eqho being heavily restructured (above in this thread), the refurbishment of Chartis (also called CB15 or AIG), which is to begin in early 2013, will complete the renovation of that part of the district I believe. At least regarding existing highrise structures. There are still some post-war low/mid-rise things around, along the esplanade, that I personally would prefer demolished or seriously restructured.
This is how Chartis would look:

http://www.defense-92.fr/photos/tour...la-defense.jpg

A bit the same as those white columns of the facade seem to stay, but they would completely change the glass and then call it Tour Blanche, that simply means white tower. Chartis was one of those first, smaller high-rises built in la Défense during the 60s, as well as its close neighbor Europe being partly refurbished too, but of which the original facade won't change.

As usual, thanks to defense-92 and pss-archi (the French team at work!) for the nice info.

Eqho's strange triple-glazed new facade.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7205/6...4ba15514_b.jpg http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7189/6...93772250_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7182/6...287915c0_b.jpg
All pictures, Javier Urquijo, Icade Officiel

These pics are under Icade's copyright, but Icade is also the developer so I hope they won't mind if we promote their project on here.
To me, it looks as if some kind of cheap crappy old style you sometimes see in some 60's-70's industrial areas had become shiny good quality.
I actually like their thing, when the sky is blue especially.

Throwback Thursday: La Defense, Paris' Business District
http://skyrisecities.com/news/2015/1...iness-district

Arena 92 Nears Completion in Paris Business District