General Information

Designed in a modern architectural style, the 190-metre-high Tour Total is an office building belonging to the third generation of skyscrapers. The building, which is the headquarters of Total SA – one of the six ‘Supermajor’ oil companies in the world, was erected in 1985 and is now the third tallest skyscraper in the Paris area.

Additional Information

The tower used to be known as Tour Elf, but changed its name in 1999 when the two companies – Elf and Total Fina agreed on merger. The building is open to visitors. On the ground of the building there is a library and a longue for visitors; the basement houses a swimming pool, bars and restaurants. The building also has an auditorium and several meeting rooms.

Architecture: Highlights

Located in La Défense – the high-rise business district west of and adjacent to the city of Paris, the Tour Total is composed of five connected parts of different heights, which are superimposed on each other. The tallest of those parts has 48 floors and the next two have 44 and 37 floors respectively.

Architecture: Explained

While designing, the architects took into account the flaws in towers of previous generations (such as Tour Areva, Tour Gan, Tour AXA). Thus, the Tour Total is much more efficient in terms of energy consumption than previous La Défense skyscrapers. The building’s overall design, with its new types of highly insulating glass and computerised management of energy consumption, makes the building one of the most energy-efficient skyscrapers in Europe.