Cite Universitaire — the hunt

I think Le Corbusier must be the most famous architect in France. I was majorly hankering for a architectural tour, after visiting Alvar Aalto's studio and home in Helsinki last summer. I did a bit of Internet research, and Le Corbusier was the only architect who came up! In case any of you don't already know, Le Corbu is the most pre-eminent French modern architects.

In Paris, there are a few main architectural sites, designed by Le Corbusier. You can visit his house and studio, but unfortunately I procrastinated too much for that. Because of the timing, I was able to see Le Pavillion Suisse, La Maison du Brésil, and, La Cité de Refuge.

Le Pavillion Suisse and La Maison du Brésil are pretty close to each other. They are both part of Cité Universitaire, a college in Paris that was created to attract students from all over the globe. They have a lot of other interesting buildings that are used for student housing, but these are the only two from Le Corbusier. I would suggest you plan on spending a morning there, and wandering a little, if you have the time.

Le Pavillion Suisse is open from 10 to 12 am, and 2 pm to 5 pm. What I didn't realize, before I visited the South of France, is that many take an extended lunch break.

Anyway, I think I arrived around 11 am, and needed no more than 30 minutes to see everything Le Pavillion Suisse had to offer.

So to backtrack a little, you need to take the metro or tram to Cité Universitaire. You enter, and there should be pretty clear signs to each building. Back when it was created, only Brazilian students lived in the Brazilian building, but now anyone can live anywhere.

It is 2 euros to enter La Pavillion Suisse and you have access across the ground floor, and on the first floor in the hall, and in an orginal student dorm room. It's definitely the least expensive museum you can visit in Paris, and well worth it.

This is the outside of the building. It's Brutalism at its best. You have to go kind of through the side to get in. What's really incredible is that La Pavillion Suisse was built in the early 1930s.

Le Corbusier is so good at introducing nature into his work.

This is the student lounge, which was one of my favorite spaces in the building. It is so friendly and inviting with the beautiful mural and the Barcelona chairs.

Here is where you get your nature. I love the huge glass windows looking onto the outdoor space.

This type of color combination is very typical of Le Corbusier.

And onto the first floor!

The halls upstairs are a little on the plain and stark side.

This was the top of a small table in the hall. I liked how cheerful the painting was.

Imagine you were a student here, looking out your window. This is what it would look like.

Charlotte Perriand was a Le Corbusier collaborator and designed this furniture. While it all makes sense functionally, I gotta say- I think the look is a little grim.

And here is the pretty fancy brochure I received.

La Maison du Brésil is my favorite Le Corbusier building in Paris, and it is only 1 euro to enter. It is quite close, and if I remember correctly, their hours are slightly more lenient. This allows you access, just to the lobby. The lobby is fairly large, so that's good!

I really like the way this building combines concrete and color.

I like how there is color on the ceiling.

This is the pavillion outside of the building.

What's really stunning is the way the color reflects off everything like stained glass.

Everything Le Corbusier does is very linear.

I would imagine this is really pretty at sunset.

I like the contrast of the grey ceiling.

This is the brochure from La Maison du Brésil. This one was built much later, in 1957.

Next is La Cité de Refuge.

I'm pretty comfortable in most settings and neighborhoods. What I didn't realize before visiting La Cité de Refuge before visiting it, is that it is still a fully functioning Salvation Army. The area is far out, and not very polished. It didn't seem dangerous to me, but just be aware of your surroundings.

Take the metro to Porte d'Ivry and expect to walk for about 20 minutes once you get off along a long stretch of busy wide road.

The outskirts of French cities are known for brutalist architecture, and this area of paris is no different. I noticed this beautiful concrete building for fire fighters on my way.

This is the plack outside, explaining the importance of the building. It costs nothing to get in here... Because you can't get in! Please look from the outside.

What I love most about this building is the tile work and how vibrant the colors are.

So that's it for now, and I would highly recommend visiting the three buildings.