Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Radious City of Briey-en-Forêt, also known as Briey Housing Unit, was built between 1959 and 1960 by Le Corbusier and his team, including André Wogensky as an operating architect. Sponsored by the HLM Departmental Office, it is part of a large neighbourhood project to house workers in the growing Lorrain mining basin. The building, 110 meters long and 56 meters high (70 meters at its highest point), takes over the model of the Radious City of Rezé, but without commercial equipment on the roof. It houses 339 duplex units spread over 17 floors, with six inner streets. The initial project, led by Chief Architect Georges-Henri Pingusson, also included neighbouring schools and collective housing, meeting the growing needs of the local steel industry.

Since the 1960s, Briey's Radious City has been affected by the regional economic crisis, marked by the closure of mines. Malfaçons and failing maintenance accelerated its decline: in 1983, almost all housing was abandoned, and destruction was envisaged in 1984. Saved by the opposition of Mayor Guy Vattier and a defense committee, part of the building was bought by the hospital to install a nursing school. In 1989, the association La Première Rue revived its cultural animation, and the remaining apartments were sold to private individuals in 1991. The site is partially classified as a historical monument in 1993 (façades, hall, emblematic apartments) and 2007 (old boiler room), also earning the 20th century Heritage label.

Between 2007 and 2010, a major restoration gave the building its original polychromy, under the direction of architects Medrea and Ferauge. Today, the Radious City houses private housing, a nursing school, and hosts cultural events such as the Impressions d'architecture festival (since 1994). Its history reflects the social and urban challenges of post-industrial Lorraine, while embodying the modernist utopia of Le Corbusier. One notable fact: serial killer Francis Heaulme spent part of his childhood there.

The project was part of a desire to modernise social housing, in response to the influx of workers involved in iron ore mining and the steel industry. However, the regional economic decline in the 1970s-1980s transformed this symbol of innovation into an abandoned place, before its revival through local and heritage initiatives. The Radious City of Briey remains a unique testimony of 20th century architecture, between industrial heritage and cultural reinvention.

External links