Completed in 2015, the D2 tower replaces the Bureau Veritas building, which was built in 1984. With its unusual shape, it is one of the most iconic creations by French-American duo Anthony Béchu and Tom Sheehan. Its ovoid shape places it among a generation of buildings whose icons include the Agbar Tower in Barcelona, designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel, and 30 St Mary Axe in London, designed by Norman Foster. Its façade is covered with a metal mesh that contributes 50% of its stability.

D2 was the first high-rise building in France with a concrete core and steel exo-structure. Resolutely innovative and designed to optimize space, it offers a capacity of 4,200 workstations over 49,000 m² of usable space.

The use of the latest green building technologies enables D2 to achieve excellent environmental performance, validated by HQE and BREEAM certifications, BBC RT2005 labeling, and compliance with RT2012 standards.

In March 2015, Tower D2 received the award in the “New Offices and Retail” category at the Archi Design Club Awards. In September 2015, it won the “Housing and Environment” category at the Trophées du Bien-Être awards, and in October 2015, it received the Eiffel Trophy for Steel Architecture in the “Working” category, as well as the Emporis Skyscraper Award (3rd place).

Around the tower, public spaces improve the connection between the La Défense esplanade and the town center of Courbevoie. The site on which D2 now stands was previously a real divide between the business district and the town of Courbevoie. Therefore, beyond the real estate project, the challenge was to create a link between these two spaces, which had previously been separated by the Boulevard Circulaire.

The developer invested €35 million (excluding tax) in public spaces, including:

• the construction of two new structures (Corolles square and D2 square),
• the complete modernization of the Reflets public car park (1,000 parking spaces),
• the creation of a local service specific to the tower,
• the establishment of a direct link with Place des Reflets on the one hand, and Place de l'Iris on the other, via the creation of a staircase and the installation of a double elevator on the Alsace footbridge,
• the redevelopment of Boulevard Circulaire into a more urban boulevard.

Paris La Défense carried out the development work simultaneously with that on the tower. This simultaneous operation was made possible by the developer's implementation of measures to coordinate the construction sites, ensuring rapid completion of the project (3 years) with minimal disruption and nuisance for local residents.

The duo of Anthony Béchu and Tom Seehan was formed in 2007. Béchu took over his father's agency in 1986 and developed it around urban planning and design, including infrastructure and housing. Among his major achievements, he led the renovation of the Edouard VII block in Paris's 8th arrondissement with Gino Valle and Fernando Urquijo.

Tom Sheehan trained at the American School of Art in Fontainebleau and the University of Cincinnati before moving to Paris in 1989. He founded his own agency in 1997, after working for several years as a project manager at the agency of Michel Macary and Aymeric Zublena.

The duo's only project was the D2 tower in La Défense.