5 ms·

The Maison de Verre, one of the world's best-preserved modernist buildings

47 points by tintinnabula 9y ago

throwanem 9y ago
Google Images has interior views and elevations which the article does not. I particularly like the grand salon from what appears to be an overlooking balcony: http://atlasofinteriors.polimi-cooperation.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Maison-de-Verre-Paris-by-Pierre-Chareau-Bernard-Bijvoet-Yellowtrace-01.jpg http://atlasofinteriors.polimi-cooperation.org/wp-content/up... I think this must be the first time in my life I've actually seen modernism achieve a satisfactory combination of the industrial, on the one hand, and the humanistic, on the other - I'm not sure I love the nonskid flooring everywhere, and a Persian rug or similar might help tie together the conversation area centered on the divan, but the overall impression is nonetheless quite an appealing one. Based on the geometry of the space, I suspect the aural environment would be similarly pleasant - the high, airy volume would support close conversation without turning a more declamative style into a farrago of reverberation, and support a nuanced piano performance without swallowing quiet passages or ruining loud ones. The salon being apparently the focus of the place, or at least of that photography I've found, it's hard to get a sense of the other rooms, and modernist architecture in general has a nasty habit of being a bear to maintain due to design features more oriented toward presenting the architect's vision than withstanding the loads placed on an edifice by its environment. But at the very least, should I ever find myself in the neighborhood, I'll most certainly have to find some way to visit.
- westbywest 9y ago
  It is true some modernist architecture hasn't aged well due to short-sighted deployment of the building materials and techniques available at the time. Frank Lloyd-Wright was particularly bad about this, and that could be attributed to the fact he was usually designing for ostentation. At the same time, there are modernist buildings demonstrating very intelligent choices over a the structure's long-term durability and maintainability. E.g. Bauhaus residences that put windows at the corners, to optimize on holes cut through exterior walls vs. natural light let in. Likewise for metal Lustron homes built during the 1940s in the US.
- pwillia7 9y ago
  Here's a plan of the place -- http://www.architectes-bordeaux.com/img_proj_barres_coquet/maison_verre/plan.jpg http://www.architectes-bordeaux.com/img_proj_barres_coquet/m...
chrischen 9y ago
As it describes all these (what would have been at the time) technological advancements inside the house, makes me wish the US preferred new buildings like they do in Japan.
mattpavelle 9y ago
Many more stills and video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jfPehOGXeo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jfPehOGXeo (Narration in French)
- llsf 9y ago
  Watching this video (and part 2), I keep thinking about Steve Jobs. I won't be surprised that Mr Jobs studied it before.
ucaetano 9y ago
The story is a bit of an excess in hypocrisy (which does not detract from the quality of the text or the house): "A card-carrying member of the French Communist Party, Dalsace hosted a variety of Marxist thinkers" "when they had guests, they used a glamorous, broad staircase, which has no rails and seems to float in midair" "A tearoom has a small port on a metal pivot, which allowed the service staff to deliver tea or coffee without having to walk all the way around and into the room." "Writing in “Experience and Poverty” in 1933, a year after the Maison de Verre was completed, Benjamin reflected on its entirely glass facade as the architectural analog to Communism." "The house was designed to its owners’ very personality—a house like a Swiss watch, perfection and utility in every tiny gear." "Aline Vellay, Jean’s daughter, decided she wanted to sell the house to the French government, hoping it could be opened to the public as a national landmark. For unexplained reasons, the government didn’t want it." Few things scream Gauche caviar as this story does.

47 points by tintinnabula 9y ago

Google Images has interior views and elevations which the article does not. I particularly like the grand salon from what appears to be an overlooking balcony: http://atlasofinteriors.polimi-cooperation.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Maison-de-Verre-Paris-by-Pierre-Chareau-Bernard-Bijvoet-Yellowtrace-01.jpg http://atlasofinteriors.polimi-cooperation.org/wp-content/up... I think this must be the first time in my life I've actually seen modernism achieve a satisfactory combination of the industrial, on the one hand, and the humanistic, on the other - I'm not sure I love the nonskid flooring everywhere, and a Persian rug or similar might help tie together the conversation area centered on the divan, but the overall impression is nonetheless quite an appealing one. Based on the geometry of the space, I suspect the aural environment would be similarly pleasant - the high, airy volume would support close conversation without turning a more declamative style into a farrago of reverberation, and support a nuanced piano performance without swallowing quiet passages or ruining loud ones. The salon being apparently the focus of the place, or at least of that photography I've found, it's hard to get a sense of the other rooms, and modernist architecture in general has a nasty habit of being a bear to maintain due to design features more oriented toward presenting the architect's vision than withstanding the loads placed on an edifice by its environment. But at the very least, should I ever find myself in the neighborhood, I'll most certainly have to find some way to visit.

westbywest 9y ago
It is true some modernist architecture hasn't aged well due to short-sighted deployment of the building materials and techniques available at the time. Frank Lloyd-Wright was particularly bad about this, and that could be attributed to the fact he was usually designing for ostentation. At the same time, there are modernist buildings demonstrating very intelligent choices over a the structure's long-term durability and maintainability. E.g. Bauhaus residences that put windows at the corners, to optimize on holes cut through exterior walls vs. natural light let in. Likewise for metal Lustron homes built during the 1940s in the US.
pwillia7 9y ago
Here's a plan of the place -- http://www.architectes-bordeaux.com/img_proj_barres_coquet/maison_verre/plan.jpg http://www.architectes-bordeaux.com/img_proj_barres_coquet/m...

chrischen 9y ago

As it describes all these (what would have been at the time) technological advancements inside the house, makes me wish the US preferred new buildings like they do in Japan.

mattpavelle 9y ago

Many more stills and video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jfPehOGXeo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jfPehOGXeo (Narration in French)

llsf 9y ago
Watching this video (and part 2), I keep thinking about Steve Jobs. I won't be surprised that Mr Jobs studied it before.

ucaetano 9y ago

The story is a bit of an excess in hypocrisy (which does not detract from the quality of the text or the house): "A card-carrying member of the French Communist Party, Dalsace hosted a variety of Marxist thinkers" "when they had guests, they used a glamorous, broad staircase, which has no rails and seems to float in midair" "A tearoom has a small port on a metal pivot, which allowed the service staff to deliver tea or coffee without having to walk all the way around and into the room." "Writing in “Experience and Poverty” in 1933, a year after the Maison de Verre was completed, Benjamin reflected on its entirely glass facade as the architectural analog to Communism." "The house was designed to its owners’ very personality—a house like a Swiss watch, perfection and utility in every tiny gear." "Aline Vellay, Jean’s daughter, decided she wanted to sell the house to the French government, hoping it could be opened to the public as a national landmark. For unexplained reasons, the government didn’t want it." Few things scream Gauche caviar as this story does.