Weber, PM; (2015) Home/Life – A register of adaptations to the fabric of Le Corbusier's Unite in Briey, France. In: Tulum, H, (ed.) Theory and History of Architecture Conference: ARCHTHEO '15. (pp. pp. 270-281). DAKAM: Istanbul, Turkey.

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Abstract

Housing is at the forefront of the architectural debate and problems of housing a growing population present the society as a whole and architects in particular with a very difficult problem to solve: How do you accommodate a lot of people from diverse backgrounds and with different priorities in bigger housing developments. But the problem isn’t new and various architects have tried in the past to design the ideal building that solves most of the problems. Of the five Unités d’Habitation Le Corbusier built in France the first one in Marseilles delivered a prototype of a new and modern way of living. Following his principles of architecture his building is been seen as the blueprint of modern living – both in the communal spaces and the individual living units. But in some of the later Unités some of the ideas were diluted, communal spaces were limited or not included at all. The actual siting of the projects can only be seen as questionable. The Unité in Briey, a small former mining community in the Lorraine area close to Luxembourg, was built as part of the HLM (Habitation à Loyer Modéré or "rent-controlled housing"). When it was built it provided 339 living units for approx. 800 inhabitants. As soon as it was completed, the steady decline of the steel industry left the building more than half unoccupied and by 1979 a local homeless population moved in, the building was more and more neglected and by 1983 a demolition order was given to finally solve this problem. But in 1984 a new mayor refused the demolition order, sold part of the building to the local hospital to install a nursing school and sold the rest to a developer. With the help of Ron Howard an architect educator from East London University they managed to change the perception of the building in the public eye. In 1993 after a long process of negotiations the outside of the building was listed as a ‘Monument Historiques’, but a majority was left to the inhabitants to adapt to suit/fit their personal needs. Today the Unité in Briey is a lively organism occupied by a diverse population of residents. While the first floor or ‘La Première Rue has a high percentage of Le Corbusier lovers with most of the flats being either restored or at least preserved in the spirit of Le Corbusier, the upper floors have little what reminds you of the original layout and fit our designed by Le Corbusier. The study is looking into how the residents have adapted their private living accommodation to suit their changing personal needs and the ever-changing moods and fashions presented through popular culture and the media. Interviewing residents about their personal space has demonstrated the importance of the need to take the updating of the spaces into their personal hands, leaving them to build up a positive relationship to the space through decorating the spaces and through DIY. Homes aren’t created by architects, we merely plan houses - empty shells inviting a diverse occupation. The beauty lies in the way the occupation and adaptation is registered in the fabric of the building, or as Walter Benjamin wrote: ‘Living is leaving traces of ourselves’. The building slowly becomes a vessel for personal memories, the house becomes a home. The intention of the paper is to narrate the story of the last 20 years in the Unité through looking at how residents have adapted their spaces. It is a story of stairs, walls and cupboards, of kitchens and wallpapers, a narrative seen through domestic objects. Le Corbusier's Unite's Housing problems Houses and Homes Home adaptations Home narratives

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