Students from Swiss university ÉCAL are the latest designers to refit an apartment in Le Corbusier's Cité Radieuse housing block in Marseille.
Apartment N°50 is located in the building designed by the Swiss-French Modernist architect as the first in his Unité d'Habitacion series of housing estates and completed in 1952.
The annual installation programme at Apartment N°50 was started by Jean-Marc Drut and Patrick Blauwart, who bought and restored the space to live in.
Since 2008, the pair have invited a designer or studio to overhaul the interior of the apartment and allowed members of the public to tour the space during the summer.
"It has been, from the start, all about the transmission of historical heritage and sharing the experience of living in such a unusual place," Drut told Dezeen.
Each designer selects who will be next, and so far the roster has included Jasper Morrison, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Konstantin Grcic and Pierre Charpin.
Charpin, who added colourful furniture and artwork to the space last year, chose the students on the product design course at the École Cantonale d'Art de Lausanne (ÉCAL) as his successors.
"Our usual presentations are from one or two designers; this is the first time we're hosting a group show," Drut said. "It gives the younger generation a chance to confront Le Corbusier's architecture."
The collaboration began in September 2014, when the group of product design students visited the apartment for a three-day workshop.
Features they picked up on were the apartment's climate, the flexibility of the living space, the regular tours that take place and the use of the communal rooftop.
"A team of students from various nationalities came and spent a few days with us, studying how we lived in the apartment," said Drut. "They took note of how we were using the facilities of the building – especially the roof terrace – and what they could do to 'improve' our daily life in this space."
The students returned a few months later with ideas for products and accessories to furnish the apartment and roof terrace.
Inside the apartment, additions include a fan to improve air flow on the mezzanine and cushions designed to fit both on the living room's indoor parapets and on the loggia tables.
A large rotating lamp can be positioned to light either the dining room or the living room, while a smaller version can be used on a desk or a bedside table.
A rug patterned with the layout of Marseille shows how Le Corbusier's building fits into the urban context, and a measuring device called the Unit Metre provides visitors with a tool to explain the architect's Modulor proportion system.
Folding tables and chairs allow the residents to migrate from the living room to the roof, taking with them a picnic box that contains all the items needed for an al-fresco aperitif.
"[The students] were very interested in interacting with this iconic building, on the occasion of the various celebrations taking place to commemorate 50 years after Le Corbusier's death," said Drut.
The ÉCAL installation at Apartment N°50 runs from 4 to 19 July 2015 as part of the programme for the Design Parade event organised by Villa Noailles in nearby Hyères.
A 52-page publication about the project created by the school's graphic designers is also available from the flat.
The post ÉCAL students take over Apartment N°50
at Le Corbusier's Cité Radieuse appeared first on Dezeen.
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