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IV. FIR. UN – Unité Firminy-Vert ‘Unité d’habitation’, Firminy-Vert, 1965-67. Les Bruneaux, Place-du-Breil-Firminy-Vert, Loire. The ‘Unité d’habitation’ of Firminy-Vert is 131m long, 21m wide and 50m high. 1 It has 414 apartments and can accommodate a population of 2 000 inhabitants. 2 183
III.1 History The history of the ‘Unité’ of Firminy-Vert provides yet another interesting tale, again quite different to each of its predecessors. The last of the five constructed ‘Unité’ projects, and the fourth to be constructed in France, this ‘Unité’ was never actually seen by Le Corbusier himself in its finished state due to his sudden death in August 1965. 3 The completion of the building, two years later, was consequently overseen by André Wogensky. 4 Le Corbusier was approached by the Mayor of Firminy at the time, Eugène Claudius-Petit (the previous Minister of Reconstruction and Urbanism in France who had overseen the final years of the construction of Le Corbusier’s first ‘Unité’ in Marseilles), to design an entirely new urban sector as an extension of Firminy. The new sector would replace the area of land destroyed during World War II, 5 meeting the demands of the growing population in the area, occurring due to the expansion of local coal industry. Firminy had already become notorious for its low conditions of living and pollution from the mines, earning it the name of “Firminy Noir” (Black Firminy). 6 Le Corbusier’s name for the new sector was an evident reaction to this, suggesting an improved quality of life in “Firminy-Vert”. Firminy-Vert proposed the ‘ville verte’, removed from the industry, open, green, clean and full of sunlight. It was a town that would reinstate the importance of the family and community, and would lay down a new history where the previous one had since been erased. 7 185 186 CHURCH 112. Site plan for the Youth and Cultural Centre in Firminy- Vert, 1956-65. POOL SPORTS STADIUM YOUTH CENTRE THEATRE The original urban design for Firminy-Vert consisted of three ‘Unité’ buildings, a sports stadium, a communal pool, a youth / cultural centre and a church, all which were to be designed by Le Corbusier. 8 Large boulevards were intended to link the three housing blocks with the neighbouring village of Chazeau, and a commercial centre was to be located nearby. 9 But in 1970, Claudius-Petit’s position as mayor was taken over by an opposing political party, and all funding of the project stopped. 10 The construction of Le Corbusier’s sports stadium, cultural centre and one ‘Unité’ had been completed 11 (despite his death 5 years earlier), however, the other two ‘Unités’, for which the sites had already been chosen, and the church of Saint-Pierre, 12 for which construction was already part way through, were abandoned.
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
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Introduction Singular / Plural The
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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
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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
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Building Blocks 20. The ‘Modulor
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Industrial Production The use of
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An Individual Home Independence 27.
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31. The ‘Unité d’habitation’
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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 84 and 85: III.1 History The ‘Unité’ in B
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 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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