Cité de Refuge explained

Cité de Refuge
Architectural Style:Modernist, International
Current Tenants:Salvation Army
Location:Île-de-France
Address:12 rue Cantagrel, Paris
Coordinates:48.8267°N 2.3767°W
Start Date:1929
Completion Date:1933
Architect:Le Corbusier

La Cité de Refuge is a building in Paris, France designed by the architect Le Corbusier.[1] [2] It was designed for the Salvation Army and opened in 1933. Since that time it has been occupied by the French Salvation Army.[3] The building, one of Le Corbusier's first urban housing projects,[4] was designated a National Historical Monument of France in 1975.

History

La Cité de Refuge was Le Corbusier's third building for the Salvation Army.[5] It was built between 1929 and 1933 on 12 rue Cantagrel in the 13th arrondissement of Paris.[5] [6] The first design meeting occurred in May 1929, and the cornerstone was laid in June 1930.[7]

This was the most ambitious and complex building to be designed and erected by Le Corbusier at this early stage of his career. In order to register for the night, would-be clients of the Salvation Army have to pass through what Kenneth Frampton describes as a "'Still Life' assembly of Platonic forms," which "affords the possibility of a rite of passage."[8]

The building consists of a single long slab block containing cellular accommodation at an angle to Rue de Cantagrel fronted by the free standing sculptural elements containing communal facilities such as reception hall, dining room, and administrative offices.

The facade of the building was problematic from the beginning. It was designed to be a sealed 10,000 sq.ft glass facade with forced air ventilation. The system never worked correctly and was difficult to control. The facade was severely damaged by bombing during World War II.[5] One bomb in particular, dropped August 25, 1944 in front of the building by the Germans, shattered all of its glass facade.[9] Pierre Jeanneret oversaw repairs to the facade, the addition of a brise soleil between 1948 and 1952 and the replacement of the windows to the roof pavilions.[10] [11]

The building was partially restored in 1975.[12]

The building underwent extensive renovations beginning in 2007, with the work completed in 2016.[13] [14] [15] [16]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Photo. Armée du Salut, Cité de Refuge, Paris . fondationlecorbusier.fr . https://web.archive.org/web/20160305053227/http://www.fondationlecorbusier.fr/corbuweb/morpheus.aspx?sysId=13&IrisObjectId=4593&sysLanguage=fr-fr&itemPos=4&itemCount=78&sysParentId=64&sysParentName= . 5 March 2016 . dead.
  2. Book: Deborah Gans. Le Corbusier. The Le Corbusier Guide. 2006. Princeton Architectural Press. 978-1-56898-539-8. 41–.
  3. Web site: Présentation : Armée du Salut organisation humanitaire en France. 2017-04-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20170314060818/http://www.armeedusalut.fr/etablissements/cite-de-refuge-centre-espoir/presentation.html. 2017-03-14. dead.
  4. Web site: Le Corbusier's freshly-restored Paris shelter to open to the public . theartnewspaper.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160404102631/http://theartnewspaper.com/news/conservation/le-corbusier-s-freshly-restored-paris-shelter-to-open-to-the-public/ . 2016-04-04.
  5. Book: Jean-Louis Cohen. Le Corbusier, 1887-1965: The Lyricism of Architecture in the Machine Age. 2004. Taschen. 978-3-8228-3535-7. 51–.
  6. Book: Deborah Gans. The Le Corbusier Guide. 16 May 2014. Elsevier Science. 978-1-4831-3577-9. 34–.
  7. Book: Brian Brace Taylor. Le Corbusier: The City of Refuge, Paris 1929/33. 22 December 1987. University of Chicago Press. 978-0-226-79134-0. 21–.
  8. Book: Taylor, Brian Brace. Le Corbusier: The City of Refuge, Paris, 1929-33. University of Chicago Press. 1988. London.
  9. Book: Nicholas Fox Weber. Le Corbusier: A Life. registration. 2008. Alfred A. Knopf. 978-0-375-41043-7. 357–.
  10. Book: Stephen Sennott. Encyclopedia of Twentieth Century Architecture. 1 January 2004. Taylor & Francis. 978-1-57958-433-7. 312–.
  11. Book: Franca Trubiano. Design and Construction of High-Performance Homes: Building Envelopes, Renewable Energies and Integrated Practice. 5 March 2013. Routledge. 978-1-135-87484-1. 39–.
  12. Book: Dennis J. De Witt. Elizabeth R. De Witt. Modern Architecture in Europe: A Guide to Buildings Since the Industrial Revolution. 1987. Penguin Group USA. 978-0-525-24415-8. 154–.
  13. News: La Cité de refuge, octogénaire au grand cœur. Jean-Jacques. Larrochelle. Le Monde.fr. 24 February 2016. Le Monde.
  14. Web site: Un "refuge" signé Le Corbusier réhabilité pour les plus démunis. A. F. P.. agence. lefigaro.fr. 23 June 2016. Le Figaro.
  15. Web site: Paris : la Cité de Refuge de Le Corbusier a retrouvé son éclat. 18 April 2017.
  16. Web site: Le Corbusier's Cité de Refuge in Paris to reopen after restoration. Archinect. 12 April 2024.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Cité de Refuge".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.