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

Visby Cathedral

Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.