Winner announced for the Tour La Signal at La Defense, Paris: Ateliers Jean Nouvel

The La Defense is a 160 ha business district in the west of Paris, currently under a renewal plan to strengthen its place among the great international business districts. The plan is managed by the EPAD (The Public Establishment for Installation of La Défense), an organization formed by local authorities, government and neighbors focused on developing the La Defense for the best interests of its 20.000 residents and 150.000 inhabitants in floating population.

The renewal includes several high rise sustainable towers. One of this towers, the Tour Signal, entered an international closed competition for teams of architects/investors/developers, on which EPAD didn’t impose a site. The candidates were thus able to choose their sites either from among the entrances to the business district (South Gate and West Gate), either from sites subject to demolition operations. The Tour Signal will thus endow the business district with a new landmark in 2013.

The finalists for this project were Jacques Ferrier Architectures, Foster + Partners Ltd, Studio Libeskind Architect, Ateliers Jean Nouvel and Wilmotte et Associes SA.

And a few days ago, the winner was announced: Ateliers Jean Nouvel, project shown on the video above.

More pictures of the Jean Nouvel proposal, and the rest of the candidates/finalists after the jump.

Winner – Ateliers Jean Nouvel

Finalists

Jacques Ferrier Architectures

Foster + Partners

Studio Libeskind Architect

Wilmotte et Associes SA

Candidates

PCA – Philippe Chiambaretta Architectes

DGLa

Manuelle Gautrand

RMJM Hillier with SRA Architectes

Christophe Ingenhoven

OMA – Office for Metropolitan Architecture (Rem KOOLHAAS)

Cesar Pelli

HTA – Hervé Tordjman Architecture

Jean Paul Viguier SA d’Architecture

Sawsan Beyrac

Atelier Christian de Portzamparc