The Allianz Acacia building marks the arrival, in place of a project designed by Henri La Fonta, of a team of transalpine architects. This arrival is reflected in the integration of a hotel program—Sofitel La Défense—into the office building. Returning to the rule of alignment, unknown in the business district, the architects extended the three blocks of the building to a rotunda that closes off the complex.

Although mainly influenced by the Haussmann style, the building does feature some elements specific to Italian culture, such as the covered galleries along the main façade. The complex thus forges links with the public space of La Défense. Its simple forms are enlivened by indentations and stone cladding (travertine floors, gray bases, and black tops).

Gino Valle (1923–2003) was one of the most important figures in post-war Italian architecture. A disciple of Carlo Scarpa and Walter Gropius, he was particularly influenced by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. Mainly active in the Venice area, he teamed up with Giorgio Macola to design the courthouse in Padua and the Giudecca housing project in Venice.

In 1985, the duo opened an office in Paris with Fernando Urquijo, an Argentine architect known for IBM's architecture program. They led the renovation of the Îlot Edouard VII in Paris's 8th arrondissement. In La Défense, the team designed the Allianz Acacia building and the Sofitel La Défense. Fernando Urquijo and Giorgio Macola also participated, with Jean Willerval, in the construction of the Descartes Tower for IBM.