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III.1 History The ‘Unité’ in Briey-en-Forêt is actually the fourth constructed ‘Unité’ of Le Corbusier (the ‘Unité d’habitation’ in Berlin, Germany being constructed in 1958), and the third constructed in France. It is this ‘Unité’ that has had the most turbulent history of all the five existing ‘Unité’ buildings. The area of Meurthe-et-Moselle, in which Briey-en-Forêt is located, was rapidly developing due to the growth of the local steel industry in the early 1950s. 4 Because of the resulting population growth, the architect George-Henri Pingusson 5 was approached by the government to design a new district – a satellite village, situated on the perimeter of the small existing town of Briey. It was decided that the new village would be named “Briey-en- Forêt” (Briey in the forest), suggestive of the architect’s aim to develop a site in which “the human habitat was reconciled with nature” 6 . Pingusson’s design for this entirely new village, consisted of three large housing developments (of which was Le Corbusier’s ‘Unité d’habitation’ would be one), two bands of town-house style housing, a maternal and primary school, a cinema, an outdoor theatre, communal sports facilities (including a large pool), a large artificial lake, a commercial centre, and a church. Le Corbusier’s ‘Unité’ was to be the focus of the village – located in the centre, and the largest building of the entire development (see image overleaf). The dimensions and capacity of Le Corbuseir’s building in Brieyen-Forêt were based on those of the ‘Unité’ in Rezé-les-Nantes. Because of this, Le Corbusier was even able to reuse some of the drawings that had been done for the previous building, 7 making the design process more expedient and economic. 163 164 An inopportune change of local government during the planning and construction of Briey-en-Forêt, lead, however, to a decrease in support for the project, and as a result, serious compromises had to be made. 8 The eventual, constructed urban scheme consisted only of Pingusson’s two town-house developments, his maternal and primary school, and Le Corbusier’s ‘Unité’. The sports, entertainment, commercial and cultural facilities were all neglected. The resulting village of Briey-en-Forêt, once a grand and promising urban scheme, could barely even be considered a skeleton of a town. It had been stripped almost entirely of its vital organs, and compared to what it should have been, was an absolute disaster.
98. Pingusson’s plans for the new village of Briey-en-Forêt, 1955. As for the ‘Unité’ itself, Le Corbusier had to abandon the roof top maternal school 9 , bar-restaurant and hotel he had originally planned. The only resulting service provided in the ‘Unité’ (which didn’t last long) was a small newspaper /tabacconist near the entry. 10 Plans for the installation of a commercial centre were in fact formed in 1965, but further difficulties with the local government limited the financing of the project, and it was abandoned at the end of that year. 11 Even the sporting and recreational facilities of the other ‘Unités’ are completely neglected in the case of Briey-en- Forêt, presumably due to the fact that Pingusson’s orginal scheme intended to provide these facilities. As a result, the idea of the ‘Unité’ here was truly ‘amputated’ in its comparatively severe lack of communal services. 165 166 Just a few years after construction of the ‘Unité’, the OPHLM (Office Public Habitation à Loyer Modéré / Public Social Housing Office) that managed the building began to experience serious difficulties 12 – a response, perhaps, to the fact that the residents had only been given a small and much too insubstantial part of the dream. People with in the building were knocking down walls, altering apartment layouts and using unrented space for squats or rubbish dumps. 13 But although this state might have been considered by some to be “no better, in fact, than any French immigrant’s ghetto”, 14 it would seem that many of the inhabitants at the time, although they acknowledged a certain state of anarchy, actually reminisced about these times with fondness and nostalgia for the openness and friendliness that they had shared with other residents – the doors of the apartments often left wide open for neighbouring apartments to communicate with each other, the atmosphere convivial, and even for one New Year’s Eve celebration, long tables were set out along the length of the internal ‘streets’ for the whole building community to sit along. 15 In reaction to this apparent disorder, management of the ‘Unité’ changed over to another Social Housing Office in 1967, 16 and this new managing body took it upon themselves to reinterpret the building in a more conventional manner, with the hope of reestablishing order. The raw concrete finishes and vibrant multicoloured doors and loggias, characteristic of Le Corbusier’s ‘Unité’ design, were all painted over. The exterior of the building was made a uniform white, and the internal ‘streets’ were repainted in a pastel shade, with apartment doors all in the one colour. The entry foyer was also later redone, and repair work was carried out on just four of the apartments. 17
Page 1:
Isabelle Toland B Sc. (Arch) Hons.
Page 4 and 5:
Acknowledgements In writing this th
Page 6 and 7:
Preface Observations and Visitation
Page 8 and 9:
Introduction Singular / Plural The
Page 10 and 11:
1. Dynamiting a grand barre on the
Page 12 and 13:
and the CIAM (Congrès Internationa
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“in my career …I have devoted m
Page 16 and 17:
The City Although during his format
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4. A sketch of the centre of Paris,
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Le Corbusier attributed certain fea
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From the design of ‘Immeubles-Vil
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12. Immeuble Locatif à la Molitor,
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1 Le Corbusier, The Marseilles Bloc
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23 The translation given in Boesige
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42 The findings of the CIAM at this
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Soleil, espace, verdure... The ‘U
Page 34 and 35: Building Blocks 20. The ‘Modulor
Page 36 and 37: Industrial Production The use of
Page 38 and 39: An Individual Home Independence 27.
Page 40 and 41: 31. The ‘Unité d’habitation’
Page 42 and 43: 35. A ‘brise-soleil’ on the fac
Page 44 and 45: 39. A classroom of the rooftop pre-
Page 46 and 47: 22 As the majority of apartments st
Page 48 and 49: 4 Unités in France / 4 Dreams + Re
Page 50 and 51: Atlantic Ocean 43. Location of the
Page 52 and 53: I. M.MI - Unité Marseille The ‘U
Page 54 and 55: Even before the completion of its c
Page 56 and 57: 50. Looking down a section of the c
Page 58 and 59: 55. View from the balcony of an apa
Page 60 and 61: I.4 Facilities The ‘Unité’ in
Page 62 and 63: The Offices Also situated on the mi
Page 64 and 65: The pool, which had been left crack
Page 66 and 67: 75. The roof terrace overrun by chi
Page 68 and 69: of the building maintenance. It was
Page 70 and 71: II. N RE - Unité Rezé-les-Nantes
Page 72 and 73: 78. The polychromatic painted ‘lo
Page 74 and 75: II.3 Context 83-84. The ‘Unité d
Page 76 and 77: The Parkland The Entry Foyer The pa
Page 78 and 79: The Rooftop School 91-92. Windows l
Page 80 and 81: The strength of the building co-ope
Page 82 and 83: were located independently, on a ne
Page 86 and 87: But the region was in serious econo
Page 88 and 89: 101-102. Restored interiors of apar
Page 90 and 91: The Parkland An Espace Le Corbusier
Page 92 and 93: 18 Ibid. 19 Ibid., See also article
Page 94 and 95: IV. FIR. UN - Unité Firminy-Vert
Page 96 and 97: And this was not the only problem h
Page 98 and 99: The residents of the ‘Unité’ h
Page 100 and 101: 120. Looking up to the ‘Unité’
Page 102 and 103: A more vegetated area of the parkla
Page 104 and 105: The Roof Terrace 131-132. The resur
Page 106 and 107: 1 Ragot, Gilles + Dion, Mathilde Le
Page 108 and 109: them over the past years. 32 One of
Page 110 and 111: But the ‘Unité’ of Firminy-Ver
Page 112 and 113: Appendix CHA - Unité Berlin-Charlo
Page 114 and 115: Illustration Acknowledgements 1. T
Page 116 and 117: Bibliography Affron, Matthew + Antl
Page 118: Sbriglio, Jacques, (trans. Sarah Pa
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4 unités LC - Architecture Insights

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