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turistica, troppo cemento arma- non sono entusiasti di vivere nel come spesso accade agli innova-
to, troppa altezza. complesso. tori, sarà criticato aspramente.
Tutti questi fattori creano incom- Da qui l’altro soprannome di- Le facciate. La Cité Radieuse è
prensione verso il grandioso spregiativo cube de béton, cubo di così chiamata anche per l’uso
progetto. I dipendenti pubblici, calcestruzzo. Le Cobursier cerca sapiente della luce. Il complesso
ad esempio, a cui vengono as- volontariamente l’esaltazione è esposto a est e ad ovest, favo-
segnati gli appartamenti, che del béton, la sua idea è proietta- rendo un’illuminazione naturale
sono destinati alla classe media, ta nel futuro e non viene capito, all’interno degli appartamenti e
hairdresser, doctor, gym, laundry, running the ground floor apartments, notoriously
path on the roof, a small swimming pool not very bright and damp. The entrance
reserved for children. In addition to 335 is solemn, with clear inspiration for the
apartments. Built between 1947 and 1952, skyscrapers of New York. The majestic hall
when the people of Marseilles inaugurated gives ample convivial space for the inhab-
it, they defined it as the maison des fadas, itants.
the home of the insane. Too innovative, Le Corbusier designs the entire Unitè
futuristic, too much reinforced concrete, d’Habitation on the Modulor, an anthro-
too much height. All these factors create pomorphic measuring scale, “a range of
misunderstanding towards the grand pro- harmonious measures to meet the hu-
ject. For example, civil servants to whom man dimension, universally applicable to
apartments are assigned, which are in- architecture”. The apartments are divided
tended for the middle class, are not enthu- into 23 types with different sizes from 99
siastic about living in the building. Hence to 203 square meters. They are all built
the other derogatory nickname cube de on the model of the duplex, two different
béton, a concrete cube. The Cité Radieuse is levels connected by an internal staircase,
so called also for the wise use of light. The and a living room, not separated from the
complex is exposed to the east and west, kitchen, with large windows. At the time,
favoring natural lighting inside the apart- the conduit for eliminating organic waste
ments and correct ventilation with vertical was surprising! Upstairs, two or three bed-
and horizontal air circulation. The external rooms. In the apartments there are no cor-
facades have various colors, each apart- ridors, or rather the corridors are equipped
ment has a different color for the curtains walls that house built-in wardrobes with
and the walls; instead the common spaces sliding doors. About 1600 people live there.
that contain the services, such as the lift, Many families with children choose it for
are in bare concrete. The complex rests on tranquility and services. But also because
imposing pilasters, the pilotis, which sep- choosing the Cité Radieuse means living in
arate it from the ground and support the the history of architecture and immersed in
entire building, eliminating the problem of a beautiful landscape.
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