Rendez-vous at the foot of la Cité radieuse
Today I’m heading to la Cité radieuse with my little sister Eline! We take the B1 bus from the Prado roundabout to get to the housing unit, and we pass right in front of the Orange Vélodrome stadium and over the Huveaune river.
We soon make out la Cité radieuse (after all, with its unique design, it’s hard to miss).
Our guide Alexandra was waiting for us just outside and it was easy to spot the group of other children. The tour began, and we stayed outside because there were so many special features to see on this very colourful building.
Alexandra gives all the children a little notebook to keep and fill in throughout the visit: drawings, riddles, explanations… the youngsters will have to watch and listen carefully!
She explains how the building was constructed: the loggias, the stilts, the lift tower, the choice of colours for the façade, the units of measurement used by Le Corbusier and even how concrete was used for a large part of the exterior façade.
As Alexandra puts it so well: ‘The façade of la Cité radieuse is like a face: it’s unique, with its little flaws. That’s what makes it unique.’
