Timeline

Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Falconnier Pavilion, located in Chasse-sur-Rhône (Isère), is a 19th century historical monument built with innovative techniques. Measuring 3.71 m long and 2.35 m wide, it is distinguished by its dauphinous roof in green varnished tiles, topped with curved doves. Its structure combines wood, metal and concrete, while its facades combine colourless glass and polychrome glass bricks (white, yellow, green), arranged in geometric patterns. A side door and cremon windows complete this set, designed to fit into a plant setting.

The originality of the pavilion lies in the use of moulded glass bricks, an invention of Gustave Falconnier. This material, presented in 1895 at the Union syndicale des architectes français (Usaf), was awarded at the International Exhibition in Lyon in 1894 (silver medal for a similar greenhouse). Although its exact origin remains uncertain, the family tradition suggests that this exhibition, before being established on the domain of Violans, a 16th century mansion transformed into a marina in the 17th century and then restructured in the 19th century.

The pavilion illustrates the technical audacity of Falconnier, architect-inventor, who married metal, glass and concrete to create a functional and aesthetic building. Its inscription as a Historic Monument in 2021 highlights its heritage value, linked to industrial innovation and horticultural art of the late 19th century. The wooden frame, wooden panel base and green painted metal supports reinforce its harmony with the landscape environment for which it was designed.

The area of Violans, where the pavilion is erected, bears witness to the evolution of the agricultural properties of Lyon. Initially a 16th-century wine-growing farmhouse, it became a pleasure house in the 17th century, reflecting the social status of the Lyon notables. The restructuring of the 19th century, contemporary of the building of the pavilion, is part of this tradition of beautification of secondary residences, where architecture and nature dialogue.

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