4 unités LC - Architecture Insights

13 Gans, Deborah, The Le Corbusier Guide, Princeton Architectural Press,
New York, Revised Ed., 2000, p. 111.
14 Although the ‘Unité’ in Firminy-Vert is of the same dimensions as the
other ‘Unités’ in France (being closest to the dimensions of Rezé and Briey),
it actually contains around a hundred more apartments. A fact is somewhat
ironic considering the severe population decrease at its time of construction.
15 Bory, Christophe, Le Site Le Corbusier, Firminy, Syndicat d’Initiative de
Firminy et Environs, Firminy, 1995, p. 29.
16 Ibid.
17 L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui, No. 287, June 1993, p. 22, article by Jean-
Paul Robert, “Unité, Singulier pluriel”, trans. I. Toland.
18 Blueprint, No. 99, July/Aug. 1993, p. 40, article by Kester Rattenbury,
“Bringing new life to Le Corbusier’s lost city”.
19 L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui, No. 287, June 1993, p. 22, article by Jean-
Paul Robert, “Unité, Singulier pluriel”, trans. I. Toland.
20 In Blueprint, No. 99, July/Aug. 1993, p. 40, article by Kester Rattenbury,
“Bringing new life to Le Corbusier’s lost city”, Rattenbury indicates that the
closure of the building’s northern half was much to the dismay of the
inhabitants, and occurred“despite the inhabitants live-in protests”.
21 At the time of visiting the school in the ‘Unité’ in Firminy-Vert, members
of the committee for its renovation were still trying to obtain justification
from the local council for its refusal to allow the re-opening to go ahead. The
local council claims that the matter is still under consideration. (Information
from interview with Christophe Bory whose two young children had been
attending the school before its closure).
22 Bory, Christophe, Le Site Le Corbusier, Firminy, Syndicat d’Initiative de
Firminy et Environs, Firminy, 1995, p. 31.
23 The Le Corbusier buildings of Firminy-Vert, including the unfinished
remnants of the Saint-Pierre church, are all now listed as national heritage.
209 210
24 Bory, Christophe, Le Site Le Corbusier, Firminy, Syndicat d’Initiative de
Firminy et Environs, Firminy, 1995, p. 31.
25 This exhibition at the ‘Unité’ of Firminy, of a series of installations of
contemporary art in the empty apartments along the last internal street, was
in fact the main focus of the two previously mentioned articles ( Blueprint,
No. 99, July/Aug. 1993, p. 40, article by Kester Rattenbury, “Bringing new
life to Le Corbusier’s lost city”, and L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui, No. 287,
June 1993, p. 22, article by Jean-Paul Robert, “Unité, Singulier pluriel”) –
the exhibition having thus brought the building to the journalists’ attention.
In the exhibition, each apartment had become a gallery for each individual
work, the installations being the artist’s interpretation of the deserted
dwelling space. The works were created especially for the exhibition, and
included installations by artists such as Nigel Coates, Stuart Helm, Jasper
Morrison, Christian Philippe Müller, Enric Miralles, Tony Arefin, Jim
Isermann, Tom Burr and Rene Straub. Children and residents of the building
were also invited to install works, either in collaboration with the artists, or
independently. The exhibition was concieved and organised by Yves
Aupetitallot.
26 Ibid., p. 28.
27 This impression is also perhaps due to the fact that the facades display the
larger number of apartments through the loggias, suggesting a bigger housing
complex in terms of building population.
28 A mid-level commercial ‘street’ had in fact been included in the original
plans for the building. The limitations of the budget, however, as with Rezé
and Briey, resulted in its compromise.
29 Information regarding the school’ history and functioning was also
obtained from the interview with Christophe Bory (see note 9), whose own
two children had attended the school before it was closed.
30 Information from interview with Christophe Bory. (see note 9)
31 This was apparent in an interview with two members of the co-operative –
Chrisophe Bory and Christiane Chatelain, who described the efforts of the
group, their recent projects and achievements, and problems encountered by