Unité d'habitation, Modernist residential complex in Marseille, France
Unité d'habitation is a concrete residential block in southern Marseille, raised on pilotis and housing 337 apartments across 12 floors. The units interlock like puzzle pieces, creating double-height spaces with windows facing both directions.
Le Corbusier designed this building between 1947 and 1952 as a response to the housing crisis that followed World War II. The project demonstrated how collective living could be reimagined by integrating services and communal areas directly into the structure.
Residents still refer to the complex by a nickname that reflects its experimental vision and the architect's desire to create a self-contained world. The rooftop kindergarten and sculptures reveal how Le Corbusier imagined life unfolding at every level, from ground to sky.
A hotel within the building allows visitors to spend a night in an original apartment and experience the design from the inside. The rooftop is open during daytime hours and offers space to walk around, with views over the city and the sea.
Corridors appear only on every third floor because the apartments span two levels and support each other structurally. Each unit runs through the entire width of the building from one facade to the other, bringing morning light and evening light into the same space.
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