Unité d'habitation of Briey, Modern residential complex in Val de Briey, France

The Unité d'habitation of Briey is a 110-metre-long, 56-metre-high concrete block raised on tall angled pillars, with 339 duplex flats on 17 floors and six internal streets. Its facade is a grid of recessed balconies with pierced concrete panels and red, yellow, green and blue side walls. A windowless tower section with small square openings stands at the right, and a glass entrance sits between the pillars.

Le Corbusier was appointed chief architect in 1955, with André Wogenscky as managing architect and the HLM office as client. Construction began on 3 March 1959 and lasted two years; the first tenants arrived in 1961. By December 1983 nearly all 339 flats were empty, and demolition was proposed in 1984. Mayor Guy Vattier opposed it, a defence committee formed, and the building was progressively rehabilitated.

The building is not named after its architect: it takes the generic name Unité d'habitation, while locals also call it Cité radieuse de Briey-en-Forêt. Since 1989 the association La Première rue has run art and architecture events inside it, and since 1994 it has hosted the architectural book festival Impressions d'architecture.

The building stands in Briey-en-Forêt, in the Lorraine mining basin, not on a hillside. Parts are listed as monuments historiques, including the facades, the portico, the hall with its counter, the first internal street and apartments 101, 116, 128, 131, 132, 133 and 134. The facades were restored in 2010 and repainted in their original colours, so look up at the red, yellow, green and blue panels.

The building is not named after its architect: it takes its name from the Unité d'habitation model Le Corbusier developed for Marseille. The serial killer Francis Heaulme spent part of his childhood here. Since 1994 the building has hosted an architectural book festival, "Impressions d'architecture".