Molitor Building

Boulogne-Billancourt, France

Immeuble locatif à la porte Molitor is the first appartment block in the world with with glazed façades. It was designed by Le Corbusier in 1931-1934. At the Fourth International Congress of Modern Architecture in Athens, Le Corbusier claimed that the elements of planning were: the sky, trees, steel and cement, and in that order and hierarchy. He claimed that the inhabitants of a city who lived with these elements would find themselves holding what he called 'essential joys'. This building serves as a control or prototype. Building regulations in Paris at the time meant there were restrictions for the alignment of buildings to the street. The position of the site was deeply imbedded within the existent urban fabric, hence a challenge arose to design a solution which communicated to the surroundings landscape.

In July 2016, the Molitor building and several other works by Le Corbusier were inscribed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 1931-1934
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in France

Rating

4.7/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Ana Veres (2 years ago)
Nice to visit Overpriced
Dmitrii Trubetskoy (3 years ago)
It's ok, but don't expect something really extremely outstanding. If you like le Corbusier you will definitely love the place) otherwise go somewhere else
Anca Boicu (3 years ago)
Such a surprising and interesting place to see, wonderful experience. I highly recommend visiting. Friendly staff.
Anne-Marie Falano (3 years ago)
Brilliant, inspiring apartment. It was a beautiful day to visit and every room was breathtaking. I enjoyed the layout and the views on the rooftop. The balcony wasn't accessible, however there was no need as the views out from the dining, living and kitchen spaces was more than enough. A brilliant visit, that I hope to take my kids to explore and see one day.
Dimitri Vroonen (7 years ago)
Interesting
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Argos Theater

The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.

The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.

Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.