Tour First (previously known as Tour UAP between 1974 and 1998, and as Tour Axa between 1998 and 2007) is an office skyscraper in Courbevoie, in La Défense, the business district of the Paris metropolitan area.

Tour First
Map
Former namesTour AXA
Tour UAP
Tour Assur
CB31
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeCommercial offices
Architectural styleModernism
Location1 Place des Saisons
La Défense, Courbevoie, France
Coordinates48°53′20″N 2°15′06″E / 48.8889°N 2.2517°E / 48.8889; 2.2517
Completed1974
Renovated2007 –2011
OwnerBeacon Capital Partners
Height
Antenna spire231 m (758 ft)
Roof225 m (738 ft)
Technical details
Floor count52
Floor area86,707 m2 (933,310 sq ft)
Lifts/elevators28
Design and construction
Architect(s)Michel Stenzel
Pierre Dufau
Jean-Pierre Dacbert
EngineerIosis Bâtiments
Main contractorGFC + Bouygues
Renovating team
Architect(s)Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates
SRA Architects
Website
www.kpf.com/project/tour-first
References
[1][2][3][4]

The tower was built in 1974 by Bouygues for the UAP insurance company. The building was 159 m (522 ft) at that time. Its ground shape was in the form of a three-pointed star whose branches were separated each by a 120° angle. This particular shape was chosen to symbolize the merger of the three French insurance companies that were at the origin of UAP. The tower was renamed Tour Axa when UAP was bought by the Axa insurance company in 1996.

Large-scale renovation of the tower began in 2007 and was completed in 2011. The exterior appearance of the building was completely changed, with extra height added to the tower. The renovated tower, now known as Tour First, is 225 m (738 ft) at roof height, and 231 m (758 ft) including its spire, with a total floor space of 86,707 m2 (933,310 sq ft). It is currently the tallest skyscraper in France, only surpassed in height by the Eiffel Tower.

Another Axa tower exists in New York City, US, which is 228.6 m (751 ft) tall; Tour AXA in Montreal, Quebec, Canada was completed in 1974 and is 104 m (341 ft).

See also

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Tour First in April 2015

References

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  1. ^ "Tour First". CTBUH Skyscraper Center. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  2. ^ "3 August 2012". Emporis. Archived from the original on October 8, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ "Tour First". SkyscraperPage. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
  4. ^ Tour First at Structurae. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
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