Abstract
After bombings in World War II destroyed much of Firminy, the French government decided to construct Firminy-Vert as a new town for the working class on the site of an old iron mine. Le Corbusier was not involved with the original planning or design of the apartment towers. However, he discretely advised the mayor of Firminy-Vert from 1953–72. With the approval of the town architects, Roux and Sive, Le Corbusier received the commission for the design of the athletic center, the Unité d’habitation, and the church. Although the site plan for these buildings was designed by Le Corbusier, only the youth center was completed during the architect's lifetime. He did not choose the color scheme for the Unité. André Wogenscky, his former partner, designed the pool complex. The church remains incomplete. As low-cost housing, the Unité at Firminy resembles more the Unité built at Nantes-Rezé than the original block at Marseille, which has luxurious finishes and dramatic sculptural effects. The athletic complex mimics the Greek agora in its organization; however, it transposes freely the functions of the original parts.
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