# La Défense vs. Canary Wharf skyline



## artoor (Oct 17, 2003)

I don't really understand how some people may claim
that Frankfurt has better skyline than Paris.
Is it kind of blindness or what?


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## CrazyMac (Apr 23, 2006)

artoor said:


> I don't really understand how some people may claim
> that Frankfurt has better skyline than Paris.
> Is it kind of blindness or what?


Simply because of density, the buildings themselves are pretty poor when you see them up close, (cold concrete slab,poor cheap external materials) ...except for the most recent builds, 5 or 6 towers.

La Defense is abit of a concrete wasteland, it is the best looking skyline from a distance...yes no doubt, but...

As an actual working envoirement, Frankfurt and Canary Wharf are far superior, with much better quality of materials used in construction, and a far more pleasent evoirement at street level.

ALOT of people look at the long distance shots and think wow!!. but if most of them actually visited LD (which 99% of them never will), they wouldnt be as impressed.


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## Falcaonet (Jun 10, 2003)

CrazyMac said:


> Simply because of density, the buildings themselves are pretty poor when you see them up close, (cold concrete slab,poor cheap external materials) ...except for the most recent builds, 5 or 6 towers.
> 
> La Defense is abit of a concrete wasteland, it is the best looking skyline from a distance...yes no doubt, but...
> 
> ...


Completely biased, you're britsh aren't you?:lol:

Canary Wharf by itself isn't comparable to la Defense or Frankfurt


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## Falcaonet (Jun 10, 2003)

CrazyMac said:


> Simply because of density, the buildings themselves are pretty poor when you see them up close, (cold concrete slab,poor cheap external materials) ...except for the most recent builds, 5 or 6 towers.
> 
> La Defense is abit of a concrete wasteland, it is the best looking skyline from a distance...yes no doubt, but...



Where do you see a concrete wasteland in the pic above?
My uncle is in Paris and i visited him, La Defense isn't all concrete nor a wasteland:hilarious


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## Axelferis (Jan 18, 2008)

La Defense!!
To be honest , it was my favourite business district in Europe after creation of La Grande Arche with this beautiful and genuine architectural antagonism with the old Paris! ( From Arc de Triomphe to Grande Arche!) 
I was dazzled in 1989 each time i saw this!!

At the end of 90's and debut of 2000's , alot of project has emerged everywhere!!

Paris lays his reputation of what has been done a decade at La Defense! I founded so lazy attitude comparing all the booming projects everywhere in the world!
La Defense always miss these 1 or 2 big tower of 300m minimum which will give it this necessary spectacular skyline!

Yes for the moment it's very good. But i wait to be excited again like in 1989!
Generali tower is a nice initiative.

For the moment i give 8/10 

And for the guy who gave 3.5/10 one or two pages ago i think you are not serious man :down:

And my european skyline top:

1/London
2/Frankfurt
3/Paris

But paris could next take this second place.
London is untouchable.


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## CrazyMac (Apr 23, 2006)

Falcaonet said:


> Completely biased, you're britsh aren't you?:lol:
> 
> Canary Wharf by itself isn't comparable to la Defense or Frankfurt


Completely biased, your French arent you?::lol:

la Defense - 1959
Canary Wharf - 1987

In less than 20years CW is a bigger financial centre (revenue turnover) than Paris and frankfurt COMBINED.


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## Falcaonet (Jun 10, 2003)

No Im not :hilarious im portuguese hahahahaha

You're actually totally biased , and i usually don't discuss with totally biased people unless...
Anyway im not french and i prefer the british to the french , so im the less biased person here, but it irritates me completely biased ppl...


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## Falcaonet (Jun 10, 2003)

CrazyMac said:


> Completely biased, your French arent you?::lol:
> 
> la Defense - 1959
> Canary Wharf - 1987
> ...



Are we talking about finances or skylines and buildings??
La Defense has more pigeons :bash:


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

CrazyMac said:


> Simply because of density, the buildings themselves are pretty poor when you see them up close, (cold concrete slab,poor cheap external materials) ...except for the most recent builds, 5 or 6 towers.
> 
> La Defense is abit of a concrete wasteland, it is the best looking skyline from a distance...yes no doubt, but...
> 
> ...



OK, but didn't La Défense begin before Frankfurt and especially Canary Wharf? It seems LD had the badluck of having been around France's concrete craze. I personally don't like the esplanade. I think it has to be completely redone and the materials better selected. But it's only a matter of time that this will happen and older buildings have been given very nice facelifts, making them unrecognizable and much better looking. Also, LD has expanded and new cool low-rise buildings, both residential and office, are popping up like a few pics above, making LD finally feel like it's not just along the esplanade. Now LD is communicating with its surroundings and becoming seamless, rather than trapped. I think once the esplanade is redone and a few more projects are complete, LD will be more likely to be undisputable Europe's best skyscraper center.


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## edubejar (Mar 16, 2003)

Kurapika said:


> La Defense is amazing and by far the best skyline in Europe and after all the new projects are completed will be able to compete on the world stage.
> 
> 
> The 133 people who voted 3 or less voted so based on anti-French feelings and not on the quality of the skyline.


Or just jealousy. Jealousy does that.


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## Karakuri (Dec 5, 2006)

Wow, today February 15th 2008, 133 voters are jealous-ass fools, that's a lot!


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## Falcaonet (Jun 10, 2003)

Karakuri said:


> Wow, today February 15th 2008, 133 voters are jealous-ass fools, that's a lot!


I Agree


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## Minato ku (Aug 9, 2005)

edubejar is right La Defense is better than some years ago and will be a lot better in the future.
The northern is now like an real urban boulevard when the soutern part doesn't been improved and is always like an freeway.

The recent Faubourg de l'Arche district has good quality pavement and buildings. 

Pedestrian view of inside la Defense


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## Axelferis (Jan 18, 2008)

La defense has this problem: started end 60/s, continuing 70-80's, not a lot of construction during 90's and we are now in 2000's.
way of designing has changed so much that last time i was at la defense, Esplanade is so awful that 8 or 9 building deserves the destruction!!

At a lower scale, La Part Dieu in Lyon wanted to be a new La defense and the result is catastrophic!!!


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## De Snor (Jul 28, 2002)

artoor said:


> I don't really understand how some people may claim
> that Frankfurt has better skyline than Paris.
> Is it kind of blindness or what?


The LD buildings are like CW in London built as a cluster, in Frankfurt there are stunning towers but they are to spread out.
I personally adore LD but CW has something more interesting to offer :its location near water.

LD need some nice looking new residential towers cause many of the low-rises built in the 60's are just to ugly for words, something that CW doesn't have a lack of.Frankfurt has no residentials at all.

The Esplanade needs an urgent facelift and building taller towers or changing the façades wont do it any good either.
Another LD problem: to many unfinished projects where many concrete gaps stay unbuilt and a pedestrian walk that has no end but CW has across the river the joke of the nation to look down too...

Lyon,a small scale LD with just 1 tower built ages ago with the same disgusting slab as LD...Lyon has other interesting things to offer.


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## CrazyMac (Apr 23, 2006)

Anyway, i gave it 7/10, purely because LD is a dissapointment when you actually walk around it, rather than just look at it from a distance.

The opposite of Canary Wharf.


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## artoor (Oct 17, 2003)

CrazyMac said:


> Simply because of density, the buildings themselves are pretty poor when you see them up close, (cold concrete slab,poor cheap external materials) ...except for the most recent builds, 5 or 6 towers.
> 
> La Defense is abit of a concrete wasteland, it is the best looking skyline from a distance...yes no doubt, but...
> 
> ...


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## chest (Sep 13, 2002)

> But '5 or 6 recent built towers' that's not less than the entire Canary Wharf, isn't it?
> 
> My impression of Canary Wharf (the only place out 3 mentioned I actually visited) was exactly that of a "concrete wasteland" - despite some stunning perspectives.
> There is also an underground shopping street which is totally impersonal
> ...


there isn't a single piece of concrete at Canary Wharf except for bridges and walk ways- the materials used for the buildings and landscaping are exceptionally high quality (even though the designs are slightly bland) - also Canary Wharf is not 6 buildings - there are currently 12 towers of 20 floors or more under construction alone with numerous buildings in the 70m range . Canary Wharf is only around 18 yrs old LD is a well developed, established business area.


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## artoor (Oct 17, 2003)

chest said:


> there isn't a single piece of concrete at Canary Wharf except for bridges and walk ways- the materials used for the buildings and landscaping are exceptionally high quality (even though the designs are slightly bland) - also Canary Wharf is not 6 buildings - there are currently 12 towers of 20 floors or more under construction alone with numerous buildings in the 70m range . Canary Wharf is only around 18 yrs old LD is a well developed, established business area.


Even if not concrete, still a wasteland. I'm aware that CW needs more
time to develope into sth resembling a city but as for now, you know
yourself. 
To be completely clear - CW remains one of the most interesting areas
in modern Europe.


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## Minato ku (Aug 9, 2005)

The Londoner are quite funny why there is always jalous in some times, when something in London are not view has the best are not view as the best there is always a reason.

So if London Underground is not the best subway in the world it is because it is the oldest.
So if Canary Wharf skyline is not the best in Europe it is because the district has only 21 years old but it has the best quality of building.
If The City is ugly, it is due at the post war reconstruction.
What else ?

So we can say if La Defense has old building, old pavement and a 60's urban planning it is because it is old. Why we can't give this argument ?

La Defense on sunny day is really agreable, you see a lot of people in the ugly esplanade and most are not office workers but familly, couple. Why, if La Defense is so horrible, most people who live in this district love it ?

Rate Our Skylines threads are about the skyline not the quality of pavement and in this way La Defense has a better skyline than Canary Wharf.


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## CrazyMac (Apr 23, 2006)

Minato ku said:


> The Londoner are quite funny why there is always jalous in some times, when something in London are not view has the best are not view as the best there is always a reason.
> 
> So if London Underground is not the best subway in the world it is because it is the oldest.
> So if Canary Wharf skyline is not the best in Europe it is because the district has only 21 years old but it has the best quality of building.
> ...


Oh please, stop being so self righteous.

Read my post properly, in it, i said LD has the best skyline view in Europe, no doubt.

I was merely pointing out that once you get up close, LD dosent match up to the view.

And if your saying some of the French posters on these forums dont come up with excuses for Paris not being #1 in some areas, your a liar.


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## aclifford (Jan 22, 2007)

La Defense looks awesome ^^^^ can't wait for the new towers. 
Got to say I've always loved the name La defense, it sounds so strong.
How did the name originate?


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