Great Arch of La Défense

The arch is inclined by 6.33 degrees towards the "Grand Axe" on which it lies, the "Grand Axe" being the line beginning at the Louvre (with a similar off-axis inclination) and passing through the Arc de Triomphe du Caroussel, the Champs-Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe and going over the Pont de Neuilly towards La Défense. While it has been speculated that the reason for this is either a perspectival ploy by the architect to give a better feel for the depth of the cube or to mirror the off-axis location of the Louvre, the primary reason is more practical. The foundations of the Great Arch are a series of huge columns placed in parallel to the sides of the cube and in the corners totaling twelve columns that have to penetrate into a ground that is highly perforated by the tunnels for the autoroute A14 and the RER A and Metro line 1. Additionally, an underground train station is located directly underneath and a section of the Quatre Temps Mall's parking garage intersects with the floor plan.