The Passage de l'Arche, then the Collines de l'Arche, located on either side of the Arch, refer to Johann Otto von Spreckelsen's project. The latter had already proposed flanking the Grande Arche with groups of buildings. But it was Jean-Pierre Buffi who won the competition in 1986.

Faced with the difficulties imposed by the presence of both the Grande Arche and the Esplanade, the architect proposed an urban composition based on scale, division and links between buildings. The buildings are aligned in four parallel rows and linked by a vast glass nave. The nave, 100m long and 30m wide, faces the setting sun.

The offices, like blocks of polished stone, echo the clean lines of l'Arche with their glass façades.

Born in Florence, Jean-Pierre Buffi (1973) left his hometown in 1964 and moved to Paris, where he worked for Jean Prouvé. He set up his own agency in 1979 and quickly established himself as one of the leading figures on the Parisian scene, both as a designer and as a coordinator. He designed the buildings lining the Parc de Bercy in Paris's 12th arrondissement.

Sensitive to the rigor of the Haussmann style, he was entrusted with the delicate project of “dressing” the perimeter of the Grande Arche. He succeeded brilliantly, introducing more traditional elements of urban planning to an agglomeration of buildings at odds with one another.