After the war ended in 1945, the French Minister of Reconstruction and Urban Planning, Raoul Dautry, proposed to Le Corbusier to develop a Unité d'Habitation for Marseille; the architect accepts under the condition of being free from any regulation.[6]​ In this way, with the absolute support of the minister, Le Corbusier, through the ATBAT workshop (Ateliers des Bâtisseurs, founded by Vladimir Bodiansky),[7]​ the design of a first prototype of Unité d'Habitation begins, located in the northern sector of the city. Le Corbusier himself would call it an experimental work, which is why he holds the minister himself responsible for selecting an appropriate group of people and teaching them “how to live” in this new type of housing.[8]​.

During the end of this year and throughout 1946, the location of the work was changed in three other sites that varied in size and morphology, differentiating the proposals made for each of them. Later, in October 1947, construction work began on the Unité d'Habitation de Marseille, finally located on Bulevard Michelet, south of the city.

In 1949, the first public demonstration of a fully equipped apartment was made. This has an impact on public opinion,[9]​ which puts an end to the attempts to discredit that were made to the unité, until that moment. Finally, on October 14, 1952, the Unité d'Habitation de Marseilla was inaugurated.

Contenido

Le Corbusier parte de la base de que es necesario reexaminar la vida de las personas en detalle a lo largo de las 24 horas del día, para así asegurar que todos los aspectos que la componen encajen entre sí y sean considerados en la elaboración de viviendas.[5]​ De esta manera, Le Corbusier plantea una serie de consideraciones que caracterizan a la Unité d'Habitation de Marsella.

The individual and collective

• - Individual freedom must be protected.[5]​ For this, Le Corbusier considers the bedroom, not only as a place suitable for sleeping and resting, but also one for working, exercising and taking care of cleanliness.

• - The family nucleus must be maintained integrated.[10]​ For this, a single space is conceived that includes both the kitchen, the dining room and the living room, when considering food and its preparation, the essential acts of family reunion and gathering.

• - There must be collective organization,[5]​ understanding that individual freedom does not work without a collective order. In this way, it is proposed to generate a vertical community, which allows the liberation of parks and landscapes, in addition to providing a series of community facilities and services that differ according to age groups and allow a community meeting.

Modern technologies

• - Implement modern systems and installations, as a way to make domestic work more efficient, such as an interconnected hot water network, elevators, kitchen equipment included, ventilation systems, etc.

• - Rationalize construction, through the implementation of mass production logic, in order to provide this housing solution to as many people as possible.[5]​ For this reason, Le Corbusier proposes defining standardized elements that respond to the needs of users.

Site

The unité is located on a plot of land of approximately 4 hectares, south of Marseille, bordered to the east by Bulevard Michelet avenue and to the west by the Sainte-Anne sector. The housing block is arranged in a north-south orientation diagonally to the site, breaking with the logic of facades adjacent to the street, in order to make the most of the sunlight.

Structure and construction

The structure is made up of three main elements. On the one hand, the bulk work, built in situ, is made up of a structural framework of reinforced concrete slabs, beams and pillars. On this stand the independently assembled apartments, based on carpentry and light partition elements, almost completely covering the reinforced concrete structure from the inside. On the other hand, the exterior envelope of the brise-soleil is made up of prefabricated reinforced concrete elements, which adhere to the structural frame.[2] Impressions are denoted on reinforced concrete surfaces, such as the figure of the modulor at the main entrance, in addition to characteristic concrete elements, such as the ventilation ducts and the elevator block on the upper terrace.

Program

Much of the land is dedicated to green areas where sports and outdoor activities are carried out, in which there are two main pedestrian accesses, separated from the vehicular access that connects with the parking area. These pedestrian accesses converge in the plot of concrete pilotis that characterize the open plan of the unité. There are also a series of trails, a sports area, including a tennis court and a children's play area, as well as an original concrete construction, as a garbage collection point.

The unité is accessed through a central lobby adjacent to the west pedestrian access and the parking sector, which accommodates the block of four high-speed elevators, which connect with interior streets between floors, which in turn, longitudinally penetrate the unité giving access to the homes and community areas. In addition, there are four escape stairs, three internal and one external, where the latter only reaches the double-height street, located on the seventh floor.

The work is made up of 337 apartments, according to 23 different types, which vary depending on the number of people per home. It can be found from just for couples, to families with 6 to 8 children, most of these being two stories which are built one on top of the other. All of these, except for those on the south façade, have double orientation, ensuring direct natural light, cross ventilation, views of the mountains to the east and the sea to the west.

From the interior street, you access a small hall that leads to the kitchen, integrated into the dining room and living room. The kitchen is prefabricated and comes equipped, in addition to being connected to the hot water network and having a direct connection to the outside street, through a small window. Unlike the kitchen and dining area, the living room has a double height of 4.60 meters and connects with a balcony through completely folding doors. The latter stands out for the outer envelope of the brise-soleil, which controls the incidence of the sun, allowing protection from it in summer and allowing its direct incidence in winter. A staircase connects to the second level hallway, which has storage spaces and a separate shower, leading to the bedrooms. The master bedroom has its own bathroom and is open to the double height of the living room. On the other hand, the children's bedrooms are separated by folding enclosures, have sinks and have access to a shared balcony.

In addition to the common space of green areas and sports areas on the ground level, a series of enclosures and spaces for community use can be found within the work. On each level with an interior street, there are various areas according to age, such as youth clubs, modeling clubs, senior clubs, a daycare center, a kindergarten, among others. The commercial street on the seventh and eighth floors mainly stands out, as it is distinguished on both longitudinal facades, with a series of supply and relaxation areas. Likewise, the upper terrace stands out, with a varied range of sports and recreation spaces.

• - Annex: List of works by Le Corbusier.

• - AUJAME, Roger, “Las Unités d´ Habitation. Five Representations of a Model”, A&V n. 10 (1987).

• - LE CORBUSIER, “The Marseilles Block”, Harvill Press, London, (1953).

• - JENKINS, David, Unité d´Habitation Marseille.Le Corbusier (London: Phaidon Press, 1993).

• - SBRIGLIO, Jacques, Le Corbusier: L'Unité d'Habitation de Marseille, (Basel, Boston, Berlin: Birkhauser, 2004).

• - Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia category on Unité d'Habitation de Marseille.

After the war ended in 1945, the French Minister of Reconstruction and Urban Planning, Raoul Dautry, proposed to Le Corbusier to develop a Unité d'Habitation for Marseille; the architect accepts under the condition of being free from any regulation.[6]​ In this way, with the absolute support of the minister, Le Corbusier, through the ATBAT workshop (Ateliers des Bâtisseurs, founded by Vladimir Bodiansky),[7]​ the design of a first prototype of Unité d'Habitation begins, located in the northern sector of the city. Le Corbusier himself would call it an experimental work, which is why he holds the minister himself responsible for selecting an appropriate group of people and teaching them “how to live” in this new type of housing.[8]​.

During the end of this year and throughout 1946, the location of the work was changed in three other sites that varied in size and morphology, differentiating the proposals made for each of them. Later, in October 1947, construction work began on the Unité d'Habitation de Marseille, finally located on Bulevard Michelet, south of the city.

In 1949, the first public demonstration of a fully equipped apartment was made. This has an impact on public opinion,[9]​ which puts an end to the attempts to discredit that were made to the unité, until that moment. Finally, on October 14, 1952, the Unité d'Habitation de Marseilla was inaugurated.

Contenido

Le Corbusier parte de la base de que es necesario reexaminar la vida de las personas en detalle a lo largo de las 24 horas del día, para así asegurar que todos los aspectos que la componen encajen entre sí y sean considerados en la elaboración de viviendas.[5]​ De esta manera, Le Corbusier plantea una serie de consideraciones que caracterizan a la Unité d'Habitation de Marsella.

The individual and collective

• - Individual freedom must be protected.[5]​ For this, Le Corbusier considers the bedroom, not only as a place suitable for sleeping and resting, but also one for working, exercising and taking care of cleanliness.

• - The family nucleus must be maintained integrated.[10]​ For this, a single space is conceived that includes both the kitchen, the dining room and the living room, when considering food and its preparation, the essential acts of family reunion and gathering.

• - There must be collective organization,[5]​ understanding that individual freedom does not work without a collective order. In this way, it is proposed to generate a vertical community, which allows the liberation of parks and landscapes, in addition to providing a series of community facilities and services that differ according to age groups and allow a community meeting.

Modern technologies

• - Implement modern systems and installations, as a way to make domestic work more efficient, such as an interconnected hot water network, elevators, kitchen equipment included, ventilation systems, etc.

• - Rationalize construction, through the implementation of mass production logic, in order to provide this housing solution to as many people as possible.[5]​ For this reason, Le Corbusier proposes defining standardized elements that respond to the needs of users.

Site

The unité is located on a plot of land of approximately 4 hectares, south of Marseille, bordered to the east by Bulevard Michelet avenue and to the west by the Sainte-Anne sector. The housing block is arranged in a north-south orientation diagonally to the site, breaking with the logic of facades adjacent to the street, in order to make the most of the sunlight.

Structure and construction

The structure is made up of three main elements. On the one hand, the bulk work, built in situ, is made up of a structural framework of reinforced concrete slabs, beams and pillars. On this stand the independently assembled apartments, based on carpentry and light partition elements, almost completely covering the reinforced concrete structure from the inside. On the other hand, the exterior envelope of the brise-soleil is made up of prefabricated reinforced concrete elements, which adhere to the structural frame.[2] Impressions are denoted on reinforced concrete surfaces, such as the figure of the modulor at the main entrance, in addition to characteristic concrete elements, such as the ventilation ducts and the elevator block on the upper terrace.

Program

Much of the land is dedicated to green areas where sports and outdoor activities are carried out, in which there are two main pedestrian accesses, separated from the vehicular access that connects with the parking area. These pedestrian accesses converge in the plot of concrete pilotis that characterize the open plan of the unité. There are also a series of trails, a sports area, including a tennis court and a children's play area, as well as an original concrete construction, as a garbage collection point.

The unité is accessed through a central lobby adjacent to the west pedestrian access and the parking sector, which accommodates the block of four high-speed elevators, which connect with interior streets between floors, which in turn, longitudinally penetrate the unité giving access to the homes and community areas. In addition, there are four escape stairs, three internal and one external, where the latter only reaches the double-height street, located on the seventh floor.

The work is made up of 337 apartments, according to 23 different types, which vary depending on the number of people per home. It can be found from just for couples, to families with 6 to 8 children, most of these being two stories which are built one on top of the other. All of these, except for those on the south façade, have double orientation, ensuring direct natural light, cross ventilation, views of the mountains to the east and the sea to the west.

From the interior street, you access a small hall that leads to the kitchen, integrated into the dining room and living room. The kitchen is prefabricated and comes equipped, in addition to being connected to the hot water network and having a direct connection to the outside street, through a small window. Unlike the kitchen and dining area, the living room has a double height of 4.60 meters and connects with a balcony through completely folding doors. The latter stands out for the outer envelope of the brise-soleil, which controls the incidence of the sun, allowing protection from it in summer and allowing its direct incidence in winter. A staircase connects to the second level hallway, which has storage spaces and a separate shower, leading to the bedrooms. The master bedroom has its own bathroom and is open to the double height of the living room. On the other hand, the children's bedrooms are separated by folding enclosures, have sinks and have access to a shared balcony.

In addition to the common space of green areas and sports areas on the ground level, a series of enclosures and spaces for community use can be found within the work. On each level with an interior street, there are various areas according to age, such as youth clubs, modeling clubs, senior clubs, a daycare center, a kindergarten, among others. The commercial street on the seventh and eighth floors mainly stands out, as it is distinguished on both longitudinal facades, with a series of supply and relaxation areas. Likewise, the upper terrace stands out, with a varied range of sports and recreation spaces.

• - Annex: List of works by Le Corbusier.

• - AUJAME, Roger, “Las Unités d´ Habitation. Five Representations of a Model”, A&V n. 10 (1987).

• - LE CORBUSIER, “The Marseilles Block”, Harvill Press, London, (1953).

• - JENKINS, David, Unité d´Habitation Marseille.Le Corbusier (London: Phaidon Press, 1993).

• - SBRIGLIO, Jacques, Le Corbusier: L'Unité d'Habitation de Marseille, (Basel, Boston, Berlin: Birkhauser, 2004).

• - Wikimedia Commons hosts a multimedia category on Unité d'Habitation de Marseille.