Apartment N°50 in Le Corbusier's Cité Radieuse gets a makeover courtesy of ÉCAL

 Apartment N°50 in Le Corbusier's Cité Radieuse gets a makeover courtesy of ÉCAL
A group of ÉCAL students are the latest in an impressive roster of designers invited to stage an exhibition inside the privately-owned Appartement N°50, within Le Corbusier's Cité Radieuse 
(Image credit: press)

When Jean-Marc Drut and Patrick Blauwart bought and restored their apartment in Le Corbusier’s 1952 Cité Radieuse housing complex in Marseilles, France, they felt that it would be selfish not to share the results with the world. As a way of inviting the public in, they came up with the radical idea of inviting a new designer each year to refit the listed space and then showcase the results to the public as a summer exhibiton.

'When I bought this apartment, which is as a listed "historical monument" (all of the apartment's fittings are original and protected), the temptation to turn it into a kind of 1950s museum was very strong,' Drut tells Wallpaper*. 'I thought it would be more interesting to confront this incredible piece of architectural history with today’s most iconic designers; and see if it the apartment's functionality and aesthetics were still relevant in the 21st century.'

It would seem the answer is a resounding 'yes'. The 'Appartement N°50' project began in 2008 christened by star designer Jasper Morrison, and since then, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Konstantin Grcic and, just last year, Pierre Charpin have all taken a turn to style the space to stunning effect. As part and parcel, each designer must nominate a successor, which in the case of Charpin, was a group of ÉCAL students - the first time a group of designers have been tasked with furnishing the Le Corbusier-designed space.

Under the guidance of Thilo Alex Brunner, head of the Master Product Design at ÉCAL, and of ÉCAL professor Augustin Scott de Martinville, a team of the school's Product Design Master students spent three days observing life in the apartment before designing and producing bespoke furnishings over the course of a semester.

Taking care to create pieces that cater to the occupants' everyday needs, the resulting products, realised in a bold palette of bright primaries, include a fan that creates air flow on the mezzanine; a set of large and small rotating lamps positioned so that they can be used to light two areas in the space; and a chair, folding table and picnic set that can be used between the living room and roof terrace.

The exhibition, Drut tells us, is a year-long process: the designers begin work in September, the installation is set up in April and is open to the public throughout July. Then a month after the close of the show the pieces are returned to the designers in September. 'I live in the flat, with the installations, for six or seven months,' says Drut of the experience, 'and after each exhibition I purchase a few pieces, so they become another layer of the history of this apartment.'

Le Corbusier's Cité Radieuse gets a makeover courtesy

Owned by Jean-Marc Drut and Patrick Blauwart and listed as a historical monmuent with all of its original fittings intact, Appartement N°50 is overhauled each year by a different designer

(Image credit: press)

Since the project's inauguration in 2008 designers have included Jasper Morrison

Since the project's inauguration in 2008 designers have included Jasper Morrison, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Konstantin Grcic and, just last year, Pierre Charpin

(Image credit: press)

Corbusier-designed space

This year's edition is the first time a group of designers have been collectively tasked with furnishing the Le Corbusier-designed space

(Image credit: press)

A team of the school's Product Design Master students spent three days observing life

A team of the school's Product Design Master students spent three days observing life in the apartment before designing and producing bespoke furnishings over the course of a semester

(Image credit: press)

Apartment N°50 in Le Corbusier's Cité Radieuse gets a makeover courtesy of ÉCAL

Taking care to create pieces that cater to the occupants' everyday needs, the resulting products include Patrick Tarkhounian's small rotating 'Pivot' lamp that serves to light either the desk or the bedside table

(Image credit: press)

Pivot ECAL Patrick Tarkhounian

A larger version of the 'Pivot' lamp is positioned between the dining room and the living room and can be used to light either space

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Atlas ECAL Julie Bernard

The 'Atlas' carpet by Julie Bernard was crafted in collaboratoin with luxury rug company Ruckstuhl AG in Langenthal. The design displays a map showing how the Cité Radieuse blended in with its environment at the time of construction in 1952, while the 'unit' metre provides a simple tool to explain the Modulor system

(Image credit: press)

Pique Nique ECAL Caroline Thurner

...while the picnic box comfortably accomodates everything needed to enjoy an outdoor aperitif; by ECAL/Caroline Thurner

(Image credit: press)

Left: 'Promenade' by Lola Buades Balle contorts the viewer's perception with a zigzag mirror

Left: 'Promenade' by Lola Buades Balle contorts the viewer's perception with a zigzag mirror. Right: 'Agrafes' by Dong-In Seol has three components, including a clipped-on miniature shelf

(Image credit: press)

Left: 'Agrafes' also includes this clock with whimsically oversized hands. Right: Thomas Elliott Burns mimicked the raw concrete finish of the Cité Radieuse in this 'Pilotis' vase

Left: 'Agrafes' also includes this clock with whimsically oversized hands. Right: Thomas Elliott Burns mimicked the raw concrete finish of the Cité Radieuse in this 'Pilotis' vase

(Image credit: press)

Left: 'Polychromie' tableware by Leila Chouikh. Right: 'Phare' light by Stanislaw Czarnocki

Left: 'Polychromie' tableware by Leila Chouikh. Right: 'Phare' light by Stanislaw Czarnocki

(Image credit: press)

Left: 'Pilottis' by Thomas Elliott Burns. Right: the 'Mistral' fan by Thomas Elliott Burns and Katarzyna Kempa promoting air flow on the mezzanine

Left: 'Pilottis' by Thomas Elliott Burns. Right: the 'Mistral' fan by Thomas Elliott Burns and Katarzyna Kempa promoting air flow on the mezzanine

(Image credit: press)

Left: a set of cushions by Roosa Ryhänen. Right: Anthony Guex nods to the shape of the Cité Radieuse's iconic chimney with this 'Cheminee' storage unit

Left: a set of cushions by Roosa Ryhänen. Right: Anthony Guex nods to the shape of the Cité Radieuse's iconic chimney with this 'Cheminee' storage unit

(Image credit: press)

Le Corbusier's Cité Radieuse gets a makeover courtesy of ÉCAL

Left: A steel sundial by Ahmed Bedair slides over a concrete structure on the rooftop. Right: 'Exterieur' by Hyungmoon Choi modernises Le Corbusier's LC14 stool

(Image credit: press)

Le Corbusier's Cité Radieuse gets a makeover courtesy of ÉCAL

Left: Thomas Schmitz's collapsible 'Terrasse' chair is designed to be used in both the living room of the apartment and on the rooftop. Right: Roosa Ryhänen's cushions and Caroline Thurner's picnic box

(Image credit: press)

Le Corbusier's Cité Radieuse gets a makeover courtesy of ÉCAL

Open to the public throughout July, the exhibition will be accompanied by a 52-page publication produced by the school's Art Direction Master students

(Image credit: press)

Le Corbusier's Cité Radieuse gets a makeover courtesy of ÉCAL

Left: 'Unité' ruler by Thomas Schmitz shows a visual bridge between the imperial and metric measurement systems. Right: The limited-edition publication which includes photographer Michel Bonvin's work

(Image credit: Michel Bonvin's)

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