the pearly gates are made of concrete: the beautiful brutalism of förderer's church in hérémence, switzerland

 

The Saint-Nicolas Church by Walter Maria Förderer in Hérémence, Switzerland is peak ecclesiastical concrete. The locale, the scale, the cubism, the detail, and the sheer mass is delightfully daunting and awe inspiring. Built between 1968 and 1971, this ceremony of cement replaced an older church damaged by the 1946 earthquake. This replacement is so solid it could withstand both an earthquake and judgment day.

Built into the hillside, the sanctuary becomes part of the mountain itself. And, in a way, it is, having been built with locally sourced concrete and wood, the latter adding hearthy warmth to the interior and providing the board-forms on the interior and interior. The light grey of the concrete evokes the snow, in the distance when we visited but one with the church in the winter.

The complex of concrete dominates this town of 1,500, but in a serene way. As it so happens, there are 1,500 seats in the church. Gloriously, the church was open for viewing and walking nearly every spot. Perhaps the gates aren't pearly after all; maybe they are made of concrete.

Le Corbusier's ‘Cité Radieuse’ in Marseilles, France

 

One of Le Corbusier's most influential projects was ‘Cité Radieuse’ in Marseilles, France, designed in collaboration with Nadir Afonso (whose thesis was titled "Architecture is Not Art"). Built between 1947 and 1952, ‘Cité Radieuse’ hosts 337 apartments plus a mixed-use floor. This building, looming and futuristic, is often cited as the initial inspiration for Brutalism.

 

Le Corbusier was in turn influenced by the sleek, International-style Narkomfin Building in Moscow designed by Moisei Ginzburg and completed in 1932. Corbu's original vision for ‘Cité Radieuse’ was steel, but a derth of the metal after World War II caused him to use concrete instead, creating almost insect-like pilotis (a Corbu trademark) underneath the building. Corbu included a community terrace on the roof with views of Marseilles, the Mediterranean, and abstract (and now iconic) structures for the building's ventilation. The rooftop includes a wading pool, a running track, a meeting room, and a stage/concrete screen for movies. The living units featured built-in furniture designed by Charlotte Perriand and Jean Prouvé (who also designed the steel staircases for two-story units).

 

The design was so well-received that Le Corbusier designed and built  four other versions of the building in Nantes-Rezé in 1955, Berlin in 1957, Briey in 1963, and Firminy-Vert in 1965 (and I swear we saw one [a tiny version?] in Paris).

Not everyone loved the design, criticizing unused space under the building. However, we saw that residents kept their bikes out of the weather underneath and could stay out of the sun underneath. Security-wise and (flood-wise), the design is brilliant (and ahead of its time climate-wise). Firstfloorers have the same privacy as upper units as well. But the structure is part of Le Corbu's vision of new-urbanism, which is distant from the city itself (I am reading Jane Jacobs at the moment).

 

There is a first floor reception area where you access the elevators. Our visit was free but restricted to the business floor (where there's a hotel (!!!), a restaurant, and offices. And then you can access the glorious roof! Well worth a visit. Unfortunately, a unit is not available to gawk at, but it's wonderful that the public can access the public spaces.

 

 photo from https://www.flickr.com/photos/88017382@N00/8562877755