4 unités LC - Architecture Insights

The pool, which had been left cracked and drained for several years
until it was repaired during the building’s renovations, is
considered more as a decorative feature than the enjoyable and
refreshing paddling pool it has the potential to be. The use of the
outdoor theatre also relies on the initiative of building’s community
to organise performances for the space – a facility of great potential
that they seem yet to acknowledge.
But although the renovations have restored the aesthetic of the
terrace, safety is a matter still in need of consideration (especially
where children are involved). A simple chain across an opening to
a great fall will not necessarily prevent it, and stairs with out
balustrades may be aesthetically pleasing, but where safety is
concerned they are not, perhaps, the best idea.
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71. The roof terrace of the
‘Unité d’habitation’ in Marseille
as pictured in Hughes’ book
(date of photograph not given).
In comparison to the two completely contrasting views of the roof
terrace quoted in the introduction of this thesis – one of Robert
Hughes seeing it as decrepit and totally unused, and the other of
William J. R. Curits seeing it as often used and appreciated by the
residents (refer to p. ?), it would appear that its current state is in
fact somewhere in between. For the roof terrace, although now
restored to full dramatic glory, is really considered more of a tourist
attraction than a facility for the residents of the building. People
now tend to observe it, as though it were a work of art, rather than
actually using it.