La Cité Moderne, foreboding the new way of living

La Cité Moderne is a flag bearer for what modernist and socialists alike saw as the future of living for the masses. This progressive élan was made evident in the architecture and the distribution of the housing along the streets. Built between 1922 and 1925 it partly predates the first Bauhaus Exhibition in Weimar of 1923. The shift in the positioning of the later buildings towards the sun can probably be attributed to the influence of this exhibition.

The buildings have been designed in an angular cubist style with flat roofs. These two examples show that such building need not be uniform boxes, but can have a very interesting sculptural quality. All buildings have been constructed in poured concrete with rendered walls.  Most buildings have a darker base (as can be seen on the left). Not all buildings have the white colour Some have been rendered in a sand colour (on the right).

A few low apartment buildings are part of this modernist model neighbourhood. Here an example in a sandy render with large windows to let in the air and light. This slab-like block is located on the aptly named Rue de Grand-Air (or Open Air street).

In some parts the buildings have hipped roofs instead of the flat roofs that are associated with Bauhaus. The core of the neighbourhood consists of flat roofed buildings; it is at the edged towards pre-existing buildings that the hipped roofs are used as a go-between. In brick modernisme -a style of architecture popular in the Low Countries between 1910 and 1930- hipped and pitched roofs are often used. So the use of these hipped roofs would not be a great leap for the architect.

A view along the central axis of La Cité Moderne. On the corners the building height is raised to give a greater sense of depth in the vista and also create a sense of place. The shape of the blocks also creates a gate like feature.

The architect cleverly thought about variation, both in the plasticity of the architecture as well as in the use of colour. The banding is predominantly slate grey against a white wall, but in places a beige earth tone is used instead. The variation in roofline is also visible in this picture; some flat roofs have deep eaves other run flush with the facade.

The westernmost part of the neighbourhood shows a shift in thinking about the orientation of the buildings. On the Place des Coopérateurs two rows of jagged terraces were built to better the orientation of the buildings towards the sun. The public space still has the orthogonal layout. The buildings beyond the green square are also angled towards the sun. Here the orthogonal position has been abandoned.

Although mainly aimed at providing affordable accommodation for working class people, a few semidetached houses have been built. This one being an attractive example of the sculptural quality of the architecture. These houses for middle class workers were fitted with a garage, an amenity not provided for the factory workers.

In two places a small close is part of the orthogonal layout. These additions can be traced back to Garden City examples and show clearly that the layout of this modernist neighbourhood was conceived by a landscape architect and not an architect. In The comparable Weißenhofsiedlung (1927 - Stuttgart) and Werkbund Siedlung (1932 - Vienna) no such garden squares are provided. The continuous privet hedges are part of the original design.

On the large Place de l'Initiative two low apartment buildings stand either side. A lower terrace of family houses closes the public space in the south. On the north the garden square used to connect directly to the Zavelenberg a large expanse of open countryside on a low hill. The apartment buildings combine both a vertical and a horizontal accentuation in the design. The same can be said of the terraced housing (on the right) with the wide eaves and opened corners.

Some of the housing blocks border directly onto the pavement. These buildings are designed around courtyard gardens within the blocks. This does not mean however that the outside is treated with less attention. Windows in varying shapes and sizes are used as an ornament.

In the last 5 years the Cité Moderne has been expanded by adding new buildings. These have been designed in a sympathetic style, owing much to the sculptural approach to architecture of the older buildings. The pristine facades contrast uncomfortably with the neighbouring monumental buildings, that look run down in comparison.

Another example of the new buildings added to the estate in recent years. Here the cubist architecture wears a modern robe, but spatially they are very similar to the ground breaking architecture of Victor Bourgeois.