historic buildings for sale in france le corbusier briey

This building was designed and built by Le-Corbusier himself. This architect, known the world over for his “collective housing unit” concept, was responsible for the famous “radiant cites”. This concept was profoundly inventive during the years after the war courtesy of its ambition to assemble flats and communal facilities required on a daily basis by the residents in one building. The first “Radiant City” was built in Marseille between 1947 and 1952. Others followed, including that built in Briey between 1959 and 1961. The “Radiant City” of Briey, which has undergone an ambitious renovation programme, now has French Historic Monument listing and has become a building symbolic of the town and the region. Its particularly lush surroundings are very much appreciated by both the residents and the local population.

A little way away from the “Radiant City” stands this building which originally housed the boiler room. Completely isolated in the forest, this cubic boiler room, designed like the City by Le-Corbusier, was run on coal. Decommissioned and abandoned after the installation of a boiler room within the actual “Radiant City” building, it was purchased in its original condition by its current owner.
Following audacious and highly successful renovation/transformation works, this home is now extremely representative of architecture dating from the middle of the 20th century and a typical example of Le-Corbusier’s work. The classification of the building as a French Historic Monument, like the rest of the “Radiant City”, is a recent recompense for the magnificent work that has been accomplished.

Surrounded on all sides by the forest that extends to the north of Briey, the building is eye-catching with its four high white concrete walls. These, with seven inward-turning buttresses, being the only load-bearing walls. Built as a squat rectangle, its straight, smooth facades are adorned with a small prominent plain building, known as the “veranda”, on the south-west side. Its metallic structure, coming approx. half-way up the main building, is partially glazed on two sides, a concrete curtain wall forming the third side.
The house is surrounded on the other sides, in its upper section just below the roof-terrace, by a series of picture windows that provide a panoramic view over the surroundings.

The house

This house comprises two levels and an intermediary platform consisting of a balcony mezzanine overlooking the lower level. The lack of load-bearing structures inside the building means that a vast open living space that is easy to move around can be created on each of its levels.
The total surface area of the property spans 1,452 m², with a superb lush garden surrounding the building.

Ground floor
At the end of a short corridor, what was one of the old boiler room’s doors provides access to a vast space of approx. 140 m², with a smooth concrete floor, illuminated via artificial light as well as via an opening made near the prominent “veranda”.
This vast space currently accommodates the collections of the resident artist, but could be transformed into a landscaped office, a function room or an exhibition hall. It adjoins three small rooms that comprise a toilet, a storage room and a machine room.
The “veranda” forms a rectangular room which extend one of its corners, providing a warm, cosy area that could be used as a lounge or a bar.

Half-story
This recently created mezzanine floor provides an intermediary balcony area that looks down on to the vast ground floor and increases the amount of available living space. The floor surface area provided by this mezzanine has been transformed into a large, 25 m² bedroom and a shower room, rented as part of a bed & breakfast activity.
Second level
The upstairs comprises all the living rooms. It forms a large flat, totally surrounded by wide picture windows that give an outstanding, dominant view of the forest around the house. As this entire floor, spanning a surface area of approx. 140 m², faces all four points of the compass, it is steeped in light. Hence, the very special impression given to visitors when they reach this large open space, more than half of which comprises a study, a lounge and a dining room. The forest in the background is the only perspective provided for residents. It forms a striking pictorial decor which, combined with the gentle hues of the parquet flooring, is infinitely restful. An American-style kitchen further extends the space. The two large bedrooms both face south.
All the fixtures and fittings are of a good quality.