15/02: Le Corbusier, continued
In the fall, I had the chance to visit Le Corbusier's work from 1959-1968 at Firminy: Maison de la Culture, the stadium, the recently completed church - and from a distance, his Unité d'Habitation. I also had the chance to visit Corbusier's second Unité d'Habitation de Rezé, located near Nantes. Over the past two weeks, I have had the chance to see more of his earlier projects in Paris and vicinity: Maison LaRoche-Jeanneret (1923-25), Villa Savoye in Poissy (1929-31), Atelier Ozenfant (1922-24), Pavillon Suisse (1930-33) and the Pavillon du Brésil (1957-59) designed by Corbu and Brazilian architect Lucio Costa at the Cité Universitaire in Paris. Common threads: sculptural forms, playing with light, framing, color -- buildings or sculptures; paintings or rooms/spaces; are the spaces for living or observing?
Maison LaRoche-Jeanneret (1923-25)
Maison LaRoche, interior restored 2009 by Agence Pierre-Antoine Gatier. Note gray color of radiators; this is the original color as determined by paint analysis.
Maison LaRoche, interior restored 2009 by Agence Pierre-Antoine Gatier
Maison LaRoche-Jeanneret (1923-25)
Maison LaRoche, interior restored 2009 by Agence Pierre-Antoine Gatier. Note gray color of radiators; this is the original color as determined by paint analysis.
Maison LaRoche, interior restored 2009 by Agence Pierre-Antoine Gatier
09/02: "Concours" or Competitions
Europe is known for its excellent contemporary design. Is one of the reasons for this the pervasive, perhaps required, use of design competitions for major public commissions?
Many many cities that I have visited use the method of a design competition for major projects, and the larger cities seem to have several design competitions in various stages at one time.
I have not studied the process in any detail, but the few that I have run across seem to have a couple of layers of competition. The first is open to anyone and everyone - and submissions often remain anonymous. The finalists (maybe three to five teams) are given some money to develop conceptual or schematic designs. The energy poured into the design development is impressive. The city provides detailed dossiers, including programmatic and functional requirements, historic and archaeological findings, urban context, etc. Many of these projects are for urban sites, in historic buildings or complexes, where their redevelopment will have a major impact on the city.
Recent competitions include the following:
Nantes: Grands musée d'art de Nantes, design of L’agence Stanton – Williams won
Paris: Les Halles, international competition held in 2006-2007; design of Patrick Berger et Jacques Anziutti won
Competitions currently in progress:
Saintes: Site of former Hospital Saint-Louis
Rennes: Conversion of the now vacant Couvent des Jacobins into a Centre de Congrès (convention center) This competition is by invitation only, and has been held only after four years of intense research into the history and feasibility of a "centre de congrès" at this site.
Click on "Read More" for images of Saintes and Rennes project sites.
Many many cities that I have visited use the method of a design competition for major projects, and the larger cities seem to have several design competitions in various stages at one time.
I have not studied the process in any detail, but the few that I have run across seem to have a couple of layers of competition. The first is open to anyone and everyone - and submissions often remain anonymous. The finalists (maybe three to five teams) are given some money to develop conceptual or schematic designs. The energy poured into the design development is impressive. The city provides detailed dossiers, including programmatic and functional requirements, historic and archaeological findings, urban context, etc. Many of these projects are for urban sites, in historic buildings or complexes, where their redevelopment will have a major impact on the city.
Recent competitions include the following:
Nantes: Grands musée d'art de Nantes, design of L’agence Stanton – Williams won
Paris: Les Halles, international competition held in 2006-2007; design of Patrick Berger et Jacques Anziutti won
Competitions currently in progress:
Saintes: Site of former Hospital Saint-Louis
Rennes: Conversion of the now vacant Couvent des Jacobins into a Centre de Congrès (convention center) This competition is by invitation only, and has been held only after four years of intense research into the history and feasibility of a "centre de congrès" at this site.
Click on "Read More" for images of Saintes and Rennes project sites.
