French ‘Pentagon’ completion by 2014

A “FRENCH Pentagon” will be built at Balard, south-west Paris. The Defence Ministry’s scattered offices and those of the military’s chiefs, will be grouped on one, 320,000m2, site centred on new buildings plus some renovated ones.

The complex will house 9,300 by 2015 and will have Paris’s largest expanse of roof solar panels. It is widely nicknamed the “French Pentagon”, however a defence official said they do not want to copy the Americans and the building is not pentagonal. It does however have a hexagonal central courtyard. It includes a high-security operations centre in the lower levels. It is to be built by the Bouygues group by 2014. It will be the biggest building project in Paris for 15 years.