The construction of the new Louvre Palace was decided by François I in 1545 and entrusted to the architect Pierre Lescot. It was completed under the reign of Louis XIV and then modified by Napoleon III. Henri II, the son of François I, had the west wing of the medieval quadrilateral demolished in order to build a Renaissance building – the Lescot wing – whose facade marks the birth of “French architecture”. The Cour Carrée du Louvre, bordered by eight pavilions with Renaissance and classical facades, is about 160 metres square. The centre of the courtyard is occupied by a low, unadorned fountain set in a vast circular basin.