Architecture

How France's high-rise housing solution to post-war boom became an urban nightmare

The grands ensembles, high-rise public housing units, were meant to provide desperately needed accommodation in big cities in the 1950s but the plan was abandoned only two decades later

British writer triumphs in French idyll

Ann Mary Stanton credits a UK literary society for inspiring her award-winning writing career in rural France

Blacksmith’s historic and unusual home for sale in Rouen

The Maison Marrou, an iconic feature of the city of Rouen, is being sold by online auction

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La Grande-Motte: How France's 'New Florida' is proving critics wrong

Once derided as an eyesore, this resort in southern France is now celebrated for its unique architecture

France builds its first traditional Hindu temple

It is hailed as a “bridge” between French and Indian cultures, while a Buddhist pagoda in Allier also celebrates religious diversity and receives more than 25,000 visitors per year

French architecture: Marseille's 24-year wait for mosque

Infighting has stalled progress on the project in what is one of Europe's biggest cultural melting pots

How an American carpenter helped repair Notre-Dame de Paris

Peter Henrikson had never been to France before he started work on the cathedral’s roof after it was destroyed by fire

Couple cannot demolish and rebuild French home even if not protected

The 1950s building is said to be of ‘heritage interest’ despite this not being officially recognised

US-French couple breathe life into 1960s bubble house

The couple saw the ‘maison-bulle’ for sale on Leboncoin and committed to restore part of France’s architectural history

How 32 elite architects protect France’s historic monuments

We speak to one of the architects about the gruelling recruitment process and the constant compromise between past and future

France will win Notre-Dame rebuild challenge, says general in charge

Seven tonne oak trusses recently arrived in Paris by barge. We spoke to the project chief, a military man hand-picked by President Macron

Belle Epoque Paris lavatory is restored as tourist attraction

We look at the history of France’s first public toilet and the social commentary behind the capital’s ‘pissoirs’

The Paris suburb housing estate that is like no other in France

Merlan was developed by international architects after World War Two to provide affordable housing to families dispossessed by bombing

French former prison transformed into a hotel

Tourists can spend the night in a former prison cell in this newly-inaugurated hotel in the south of France

See the French houses which align with sun's movements to save energy

The head-turning properties promise to shape the future of housebuilding by drawing on architectural principles from the past

Mysteriously skewed Brittany cathedral continues to confound experts

Archeological excavations suggest that the Cathedral of Saint Corentin was the third to be built on the site, leaving numerous riddles for archeologists to solve

Why Strasbourg’s cathedral is one of France’s greatest treasures

In her series on the cultural heritage of France, art historian Julia Faiers reveals the narrative power of the medieval Notre-Dame de Strasbourg

Marseille: The cultural melting pot of France’s south

In her series on the cultural history of France, art historian Dr Julia Faiers traces the fascinating past of this Mediterranean port city through three of its historic buildings

French architecture: Pont du Gard is country’s most visited roman site

It is the highest aqueduct built in the Roman Empire, and is situated just 20km from Avignon

French ski slopes gave architects a platform to build boldly

Modern techniques and pioneering ideas defined many of the ski resorts built in the 1960s and 70s in France, with some even classified as historic monuments

One tower per family in this noble medieval site in France

Tours de Merle still stands in the Corrèze today, letting us explore its history as quite the complex settlement

Why do French restaurants have such bright lighting?

'A blight on France' is what former Minister of Culture of France, Jack Lang, called France's suburban developments, which he connects to a lack of serious art training in the French education system

Château de la Mercerie: Folly of brothers who could not stop building

Work to repair a crumbling chateau and its 220m classical façade ‘folly’ has reached the stage where the property can soon be hired out for weddings and corporate events

€180million facelift for WW1 bombarded French basilica

Notre-Dame de Brebières basilica in the Somme was hit by 2,000 bombs but its golden statue held true to 'prophecies' not to fall until the war ended

The French photography project that captures oddball constructions

‘Atlas des Régions Naturelles’ captures architectural curiosities throughout France and it will eventually contain 50 photos of each of France’s 50 ‘ régions naturelles ’

Explore Château Royal de Blois and its trio of architectural styles

Château Royal de Blois is the perfect chance to take in and understand the changing architectural styles of France in a single glance

Historic French river bridge rebuilt too low for barges to pass easily

The €8million restoration project to boost water transport of goods ended with the bridge being 38 centimetres lower than previous version

Notre Dame fire: New cause investigated as 2024 service date confirmed

On the second anniversary of the fire, claims have emerged that electric bells inside the spire could have caused the blaze, as authorities insist on a 2024 rebuild deadline

Brittany seeks funding to save historic timber-frame houses

The heritage buildings date back to the 15th century and are a symbol of the region

Notre-Dame: Centuries-old oak trees chosen to restore spire

The eight oak trees are the first of 1,000 to be felled for reconstruction of the fire-stricken spire, but critics have condemned their use as environmentally ‘damaging’

France's oldest lighthouse is 'unique in the world'

The Cordouan lighthouse, at the mouth of the Gironde estuary, is France’s 2021 candidate for a place on the Unesco World Heritage list

Sacré-Coeur: A monument that still divides Parisians

Connexion's Jane Hanks explores why - despite its appeal to tourists - Sacré-Coeur has long been the centre of controversy in Paris

France’s vanishing pigeon palaces

For the past 30 years, Michel Lucien has roamed the south west region of Occitanie, photographing its historic pigeonniers

Major work needed to ensure safety of France's bridges

Between 20,000-25,000 bridges across France still need major work doing to ensure they are safe, a senator has said, one year after the Mirepoix-sur-Tarn collapse tragedy

New French site makes finding an architect easy

Finding an architect when you need one for planning permission for house restoration projects can be frustrating.

Did you know? France's favourite village used to be Swedish

The story of the Bas-Rhin village of Hunspach, France's favourite village, and how it was Swedish before it was French.

Historic French chateau to open for European festival

Heritage Loto grant-winning chateau will be open to the public as part of this month’s Journées du Patrimoine.

Trouville-sur-Mer: Building the Parisian Riviera

Exploring how the ‘nouveau riche’ built grand villas to display their wealth in France's Trouville-sur-Mer.

Nantes Cathedral fire: Man questioned as enquiry continues

A man is being questioned in connection with the fire that started at the Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul Cathedral in Nantes (Loire-Atlantique) yesterday (Saturday July 18), as investigations into the incident continue.

Behind the scenes at Gîtes de France's new B&B project

Carole and David Movrel run Gîtes de France’ s best city break chambre d’hôtes , in Mont-de-Marsan, Landes. We spoke to Carole about how the project came to fruition.

Rural conservation charity launches architecture competition

The annual Architecture et Patrimoine competition for buildings that respect tradition and fit their surroundings harmoniously has been launched by rural conservation charity Maisons Paysannes de France.

Architecture in France: the churches of the north east

Explore the fortified churches of La Thiérache.

Inside the houses that Le Corbusier built...

Charles-Edouard Jeanneret – better known as Le Corbusier (1887-1965) – was a pioneering Swiss-French architect who can be said to have invented the concept of modern architecture, including the use of reinforced concrete and the provision of open-plan living spaces.

Large and small scale marvels on show at French museum

A rare Vénus statue is to be showcased at the Musée de Picardie, just reopened after a €26million refit

Secret history of French villages: Village des Bories

True story of the farmers’ stone houses of Bories...This month we explore the real, hard-life history behind the very pastoral stone huts built by peasant farmers in the Vaucluse

Hollywood stars film at French château

Hollywood actors Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Adam Driver are currently filming scenes from new Ridley Scott film The Last Duel at the Château de Berzé, in Saône-et-Loire, eastern France.

French manoir restoration could win ‘historic’ status

A single-handed restoration of a 14th-century manoir has been done to such a standard that the building and the complex around it are heading for monument historique status.

Architecture of France: Bastides

French medieval new towns ageing well. Take a step back in time with some of France’s most beautiful villages

Architecture of France: Firebacks

Hot properties: historic French firebacks are a grate investment

Building a home in France with glorious, good wood

Wood houses were first promoted in France in the 1990s to boost the market for timber from the nation’s forests, and now form a small but steady part of the newbuild market.

Bordeaux’s past recreated in all its historic glory

It is not so much back to the future as forward to the past in Bordeaux, as The Connexion discovers

Architecture of France: Collège de Combrée

School’s out, so what next for abandoned Collège?

Tomb tales restore life to France’s buried past

The cemeteries of France offer more than a brief history of people’s lives, as The Connexion discovers

Renaissance of Noisy’s iconic edifices near Paris

The Connexion visits the Paris suburb where extraordinarily original architecture is alive once more

Architecture of France: Périgord Noir

Hammering home beauty

Teenager killed in bridge collapse in southwest France

Two vehicles plunged into river when suspension bridge failed in Haute-Garonne

Knight’s iron giants may guard Brittany’s shores

British sculptor Sir Antony Gormley, best known in the UK for his Angel of the North statue, hopes to build four giant sculptures that would sit on the coast of northern France and look towards Britain.

Chateaux-filled valley marks French Renaissance links

Half-a-millennium after the death of Leonardo da Vinci in Amboise, The Connexion reveals how the Loire Valley is celebrating French links to a stunning period in European history

Architecture of France: remarkable modern architecture

Architecture lovers, draw up!

Secret history of France's cities: Albi

In the second of a series revealing the history of France’s cities, art historian and medievalist Julia Faiers visits Albi, in the Tarn

French entrepreneurs confirm €300m Notre-Dame pledge

Two of the most high-profile French entrepreneur donors, who together pledged to give €300 million to help reconstruct the stricken Cathedral of Notre-Dame, have formally confirmed their donations.

We built our off-grid French straw house for €30,000

A three-day course on how to build a straw house on a foundation of old tyres helped a British couple with no construction experience create their own home in France.

Architecture of France: Le Havre

From bombed-out ruins to a Unesco World Heritage site

Rouen Cathedral acts to stop visitors spying

Rouen Cathedral has been forced to alter the angle of its new telescopic devices after it emerged that some people were using them to spy on the neighbours.

A ‘twin’ of Notre-Dame clock found

A clock almost identical to the one lost in the fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral has been found in a nearby church

French eco-designer presses for return of earth bricks

Industrial designer Etienne Gay could not find a machine to make high-insulating compressed earth bricks

France passes Notre Dame restoration law

A new law setting out the definitive reconstruction plan for the cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris has been passed by the French government.

Burgundy rules in French architecture’s game of stones

The beauty of a building often stems from the material used to build it and Pierre de Bourgogne limestone is a classic example.

Fire damages tower in medieval French city Carcassonne

A tower in the medieval city of Carcassonne (Aude, Occitanie) has been damaged by a fire caused by a fireworks display held to celebrate the Fête Nationale on July 14.

‘Safety issues’ for 25,000 bridges in France

At least 25,000 bridges in France have “safety issues”, a new report from senators has found, less than a year after the Morandi bridge collapse disaster in Genoa, Italy.

Baroque jewel hidden behind simple street façade

The architecture of Nice is the result of several very different periods of art.

Louvre pyramid architect Ieoh Ming Pei dies aged 102

The architect Ieoh Ming Pei, creator of the famous glass pyramid at the entrance of the Louvre Museum in Paris, has died at the age of 102.

Architecture of France: Water mills

Mick the miller gets the old water wheels turning again

Notre-Dame architect pledges to ‘heal’ Paris cathedral

The architect in charge of the stricken Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris has pledged to “heal” the building from its “nightmare suffering”, after visiting the site for the first time since the fire disaster on April 15.

Secret history of French villages - April 2019

The ancient monastery that turned into a village: a look at the long religious history of the tiny Loire commune that was born shortly after the Revolution