The "Cité Frugès" also called "Quartiers Modernes Frugès" is an experimental social housing project that was commissioned to Le Corbusier by Mr. Henry Frugès the owner of an important sugar factory around Bordeaux. It contained some 70 housing units. The construction took place in 1924-1926.
Le Corbusier took into account prevailing social and economic factors, and was determined to build the plan to provide people with low-cost, standardized, homogeneous cubist structures. Therefore designed some six different types of houses "Arcades", "Gratte-Ciel" (=skyscraper), "Zig-Zag", "Quinconce", "Isolée" (=single) and "Vrinat". It is to be noted that this project was a kind of failure for Le Corbusier as most people did not like these severe looking concrete roofless houses (far from the traditional architecture of Aquitaine).
All along the years many of these houses have been already modified and/or destroyed. Some are still in a very bad condition, but people are starting to make efforts and investments to restore and save this architecture heritage. As you can se the result is very successful.
Sources:
Wikipedia + MiMoA + Pessac website + lecorbusier.cv-aurelien.com/citefruges.htm
Posted by Sokleine on 2014-06-28 07:05:52
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Tagged: , Le Corbusier , Jeanneret , Cité Frugès , Frugès , Architecture , Modernism , maisons , houses , social housing , Pessac , Bordeaux , Gironde , 33 , Aquitaine , France
