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After over 30 years of wholly commercial development, La Défense in metropolitan Paris will soon welcome a new batch of housing units. They come in the form of Nexity Residential's smartly designed Skylight development, which has promised a unique mix of 168 student residences and 113 private residences across an 18-storey, 76-metre building.
Our previous project update back in April shared a behind-the-scenes perspective of the Louis Paillard Architectes-designed complex. The most recent album of images posted to our Forum puts the almost structurally complete development into context, showing its relationship with the neighbouring towers. The unorthodox profile and fenestration of the building will soon be augmented by sweeping walls of perforated metal cladding panels.
A considerable overhang is supported by impressively tall oblique pillars that also serve to frame the gathering place below. The programmatic division effectively splits the building into equal halves, with the student housing units occupying the first nine floors, followed then by private residences composed of studios and one-bedroom floor plans. The residences will provide a strategically close home for students of the IESEG School of Management, which along with its outpost in the iconic Grande Arche, is constructing an additional academic hub at the foot of Skylight.
The top of the building will be illuminated in accordance with events and programming that take place in the nearby public plazas, including La Défense's landmark pedestrian-only esplanade. Both the new school facility and the residential tower are expected to be completed in the latter half of 2017.
Additional images and information can be found in the Database file linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion or share your photos? Check out the associated Forum thread or leave a comment at the bottom of this page.
