The Ariane Tower is one of the masterpieces of Jean de Mailly, chief architect of La Défense. Located on the edge of the district, it echoes the rectangular design of the towers built previously. Like them, Ariane is also built on a central reinforced concrete core. The façade, made of the same material, is constructed using slipform technology. But what makes the tower unique is its envelope. On the dark gray-painted façade, a metal grid and a secondary framework, designed to accommodate cruciform elements, have been installed. This cladding foreshadows an architectural trend focused on the “skin” of buildings rather than their structural expression.

Born into a family of architects, Jean de Mailly (1911-1975) studied at the École nationale des Beaux Arts and in Charles Lemaresquier's studio. He went on to hold the highest and most prestigious positions in his profession. Chief architect of the Bâtiments Nationaux in 1948, he later became a consulting architect for various ministries and public bodies such as the EPAD.

Winner of the Grand Prix de Rome in 1945, his style was distinguished by pure, sometimes austere forms and a functionalism that did not always rhyme with rationalism, which today makes him controversial for some of his residential buildings.

A pillar of the trio of architects behind the CNIT, he designed the Bellini district in 1957. Co-author of the first master plan for EPAD, he then set about designing several towers in the business district: Nobel, France, and Générale.