The name of the new office skyscraper, 162 meters high (35 floors), is a catchphrase that translates from Latin as “seize the day,” that is, enjoy the present moment without hoping for the future. Such a hedonistic slogan is combined with a completely serious project only tangentially: unexpectedly, a lot of architects' attention was paid to the "non-functional" public spaces around and inside the building.
Among the "multifaceted" facades of Carpe Diem it is impossible to determine the main one, which corresponds to the role of the building as a link between La Défense and the nearby city of Courbevoie (both of them are part of the borders of Greater Paris). One entrance of the tower faces La Défense, or rather, its elevated esplanade, which continues the axis of the Champs Elysees, while the other opens onto the Ring Boulevard encompassing La Défense.
Since the height difference between the esplanade and the boulevard is significant, the tower's lobby also occupies several levels. At the very bottom are the boutique and the VIP entrance, from where the main staircase leads to the main lobby with a winter garden. Parallel to it, a similar one is arranged on the outside, connecting the new square near the boulevard with the pedestrian zone at the esplanade. Between these levels there is a mezzanine floor with a restaurant and a cafeteria for employees, and another restaurant is located on the floor above the lobby.
Each of the tower's 30 office floors represents 1,300 m2 of pillar-free space, configured to provide workers with maximum daylight and spectacular views. The tower has a rooftop garden surrounding the penthouse with conference and banquet facilities.
Carpe Diem has received the highest LEED Platinum Resource Efficiency Certification (unfinished condition). Among the eco-elements of the project are geothermal pumps, solar accumulators, high-efficiency lighting system, presence detectors, etc.
