Espaces d'Abraxas, Postmodern housing complex in Noisy-le-Grand, France
Espaces d'Abraxas is a housing complex of three buildings in Noisy-le-Grand: Le Palacio, the largest, with 441 units; Le Théâtre to its west, with 130; and L'Arc between them, with 20. Le Palacio is an 18-storey orthogonal block; Le Théâtre is a half-cylinder hollowed at its centre; L'Arc's two stairwells meet on the 7th floor to form an arch. The facades are prefabricated concrete, with columns, capitals and arches.
The government commissioned the project in 1978 during post-war urban development, with architect Ricardo Bofill completing it in 1983. The development arose to address housing shortages in the Paris region during a period of rapid urban expansion.
The name comes from Abraxas, a mystic term in biblical Greek, chosen to echo the neoclassical inspiration. Bofill called the complex a "palace for the people", using prefabricated "architectural concrete" to give working-class tenants columns, capitals and arches once reserved for temples and palaces. Two-thirds of the flats were social housing.
The complex sits about 12 kilometers from Paris and is accessible via public transportation from nearby stations. Proximity to transit connections makes it straightforward to reach central Paris or other regional destinations.
The complex's name comes from Abraxas, a mystic term in biblical Greek, a nod to the neoclassical style Bofill drew on. Its austere look earned it the nicknames Gotham City and Alcatraz before film crews arrived; Brazil (1985) and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015) were shot here.
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