Almost 8 hectares of terraces right on the Seine, that’s the new incredibly ambitious project that will soon reshape the Paris La Défense district. A massive transformation that will redefine the image of the axis connecting the business district to the capital in a few years.
A transformation full of twists and turns
Two twin towers over 300 meters high. That’s the completely crazy project announced by the developer Hermitage since 2009 to transform this iconic business district at the gates of the capital. A pharaonic complex expected to bring together offices, shops, a hotel, and luxury housing. However, from the start, financial and legal problems have been accumulating around this reconfiguration, before the decision was made in 2025 to completely abandon the project. But that was only to better reinvent the district through another project that, quite frankly, excites us even more: Rives Défense.
News release: Paris La Défense selects the group led by RSHP for the urban planning and public spaces design of the Rives Défense project.
Nature at the heart of La Défense
The architecture agency RSHP, with support from the urban planning firm Atelier SOIL and landscape architect Altitude 35, intends to completely redefine the face of this 8-hectare space by imagining a gigantic park overlooking the Seine. A nature walk to open up the business district to the river and highlight soft mobility. The hotel and leisure offerings in this area of Greater Paris are also expected to be developed. These developments will not disrupt the already existing architecture in the district, while also not ruling out the implementation of new constructions. This progressive transformation should promote the circular economy and material reuse, with the goal of positioning Rives Défense on a more environmentally friendly urban trajectory, mindful of resources and climate. A colossal project, whose start date has not yet been announced, but is expected to be completed by 2035!
Paris La Défense selects the group led by RSHP for the Rives Défense project to overshadow the Hermitage towers.
