An apparently random pattern of some 4,000 red-rimmed windows punctuates the flow of color. The building's sunny side shows fewer windows and more heavily fritted louvers, while its north face opens to the light. Inside, these punched windows create lighting effects reminiscent of the Notre Dame du Haut chapel at Ronchamp by Le Corbusier.

The lighting effects are enriched by multicolored cabinets which line the entire interior surface of the building. Designed and executed by Tecno, an award-winning interior architecture and furniture firm, these luminous boxes translate the brilliance of the exterior surface into an equally brilliant interior surface. Meticulously executed, the cabinets bring depth, color, and shimmer to the interior, completing Nouvel's thought, and making the building's surface a double-sided whole.