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

Faced with the difficulty posed by the presence of the Grande Arche and the Esplanade, the architect proposed an urban composition focused on scale, layout, and connections between buildings. The buildings are aligned in four parallel rows and connected by a vast glass nave. The latter, 100 m long and 30 m wide, faces the setting sun.

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

Born in Florence, Jean-Pierre Buffi (1973) left his hometown in 1964 and moved to Paris, where he worked for Jean Prouvé. He then founded his own agency in 1979 and quickly established himself as one of the leading figures on the Parisian scene, both as a designer and coordinator. He was responsible for the layout of the buildings bordering Bercy Park in the 12th arrondissement of Paris.

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 urban planning elements to a cluster of buildings that were at odds with each other.