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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Ring Building is an iconic building located in Mulhouse, Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region. Built between 1951 and 1954 (or 1950-1963 according to sources), it is part of the reconstruction project of the station district, heavily damaged by the 1944 bombings. Designed by architect Pierre-Jean Guth, it is distinguished by its circular structure, 96 metres in diameter and 22 metres high, surrounding an empty central space. This building, unique in France with the Maison de la Radio in Paris, combines 96 apartments and 19 shops on the ground floor, with external car traffic and internal pedestrian crossings.

The architecture of the Ring Building rests on a mixture of concrete, stone and metal mesh for balconies, with a zinc roof. Its façade alternates between boucharded concrete and stone slabs, while two passages pierce the ring, one to the southeast marking a break in height (6 to 4 floors). The exterior covered gallery, open to the outside, reinforces its monumental character. Ranked Historic Monument in 2006, it illustrates post-war urban innovation, combining functionality and modern aesthetics.

The building is part of a post-Second World War reconstruction context, where Mulhouse, the major industrial city of Alsace, sought to modernize its city centre. The station district, strategic for exchanges, became an architectural laboratory. The Ring Building symbolizes this desire to reinvent collective housing, integrating shops, housing and traffic spaces. Its inscription in the title of historical monuments underscores its heritage importance, both for its avant-garde design and for its role in the urban history of Mulhousian.

Today, the Ring Building remains a rare testimony to the architecture of the Thirty Glorys, a period marked by economic growth and urban experimentation. Its annular shape, designed to optimize space and traffic, makes it a model of integration between buildings and mobility. Although private and communal property, its partial access (halls, stairs) allows to appreciate its heritage. Sources, such as Monumentum or Wikipedia, highlight its dual status: local icon and national curiosity.

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