L’Hexagone to get its own Pentagon

France’s ministry of defence is to move into a brand new set of buildings to the south of Paris, dubbed Pentagone � la Fran�aise’ by summer 2014.

The minister of defence, Herv� Morin described the project as a: “Major architectural gesture to rehabilitate a zone of Paris that has become an industrial wasteland. A gesture worthy of the 21st century and of the fourth military power on this planet.”

The minister and his cabinet will leave the Empire de lH�tel de Brienne, where general Charles de Gaulle established himself after the liberation, for the considerably less well-to-do quartier Balard. The new centre of command will house France’s three armies (terre, air et mer) under one roof as well as the Centre de Plannification et de Commandement des Op�rations and the D�l�gation G�n�rale pour l’Armement. All in all some 12 Parisian sites covering 16ha will be abandoned in favour of the new site.