Unité d'Habitation

The Unité d'Habitation (French, literally, "Housing Unity" or "Housing Unit" since Unité has both meanings in French) is the name of a modernist residential housing design principle developed by Le Corbusier, with the collaboration of painter-architect Nadir Afonso. The concept formed the basis of several housing developments designed by him throughout Europe with this name. In the block's planning, the architect heavily drew on his study of the ... more

The Unité d'Habitation (French, literally, "Housing Unity" or "Housing Unit" since Unité has both meanings in French) is the name of a modernist residential housing design principle developed by Le Corbusier, with the collaboration of painter-architect Nadir Afonso. The concept formed the basis of several housing developments designed by him throughout Europe with this name. In the block's planning, the architect heavily drew on his study of the Soviet Communal housing project, the Narkomfin Building. The first and most famous of these buildings, also known as Cité Radieuse (radiant city) and, informally, as La Maison du Fada (French - Provençal, "The House of the Mad"), is located in Marseille, France, built 1947-1952. One of Le Corbusiers's most famous works, it proved enormously influential and is often cited as the initial inspiration of the Brutalist architectural style and philosophy. The Marseille building, developed with Corbusier's designers Shadrach Woods and George Candilis... less