Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The chalet Joliot-Curie, originally named chalet Lang, was built in 1950 in Courchevel 1850 (Saint-Bon-Tarentaise, Savoie) by architect Denys Pradelle for industrialist Georges Lang. This project is part of the development of the station, launched in 1946 by the General Council of Savoie and the Ministry of Reconstruction. The aim was to democratize access to the mountain via accessible tourist infrastructures, under the direction of urban planner Laurent Chappis and engineer Maurice Michaud. The chalet, designed for a steep terrain and bordering the slopes, innovates by its elevated concrete and wood structure, optimizing space and sunshine.

The construction, completed in December 1950, combines a reinforced concrete slab with a prefabricated wooden superstructure, with an oak frame and a zinc roof. Denys Pradelle incorporates the principles of modern movement: materials economy, functionality (sas d'entrée for skis, compact rooms), and harmony with the landscape. Interiors, including furniture and copper fireplace, are thought of as a whole. The chalet became a model for French ski resorts, before being threatened by the evolution of architectural standards in the 1980s, with a traditional Alpine style.

Ranked a historic monument in 2012 after an attempt to demolish a hotel project, the chalet was dismantled in 2013 and stored in Tournon. Despite legal and financial uncertainties (disappearance of the promoter in 2016), the state acquires its elements at auction in 2018 for € 10,000. Its architecture, marked by a trapezoidal portal and a glazed south-east facade, symbolizes the audacity of the early constructions of Courchevel, now missing. The chalet is still waiting for a final site for its reconstruction.

Georges Lang's initial project reflected a family and economic vision, with optimized spaces (room space, rooms reduced to boat cabins). The protection of the cottage in 2012, despite the initial opposition of its owner, underscores its heritage importance as the last paw cottage of the resort. Its history illustrates the tensions between preservation and real estate development in the Alps, as well as the evolution of aesthetic criteria in the mountains.

The chalet Joliot-Curie is also part of the Snow Plan, a public policy of the 1960s-70s aimed at modernizing French stations. Its prefabricated construction, fast (4 months), met the climatic constraints (short working season). Today, it represents a unique testimony of Alpine modernist architecture, between technical innovation and landscape integration, before its replacement by neo-traditional styles.

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