Part of the modernisation of La Défense, the project was being constructed by Vinci on the old site of the Iris building, which was completed in 1983.

An international competition organised by Generali, Epad, and Vinci Immobilier [fr] selected Valode & Pistre as the architects.

The mayor of Courbevoie, Jacques Kossowski, refused to approve the first request for a building permit, describing it as imprecise and contrary to city requirements.

[2] While a revised application for a permit was approved, it faced objections from an association of local residents and the companies behind two nearby towers, saying that the Tour Generali would block their views.

[2] The Tour Generali had undergone a redesign and was shortened to 265 m (869 ft),[3] which meant it would have no longer held the title of the tallest building in the European Union.