Space, light, and air define the visionary housing projects in Ivry-sur-Seine, crafted by architects Renée Gailhoustet and Jean Renaudies. These structures, with their cascading terraces and lush greenery, represent a bold departure from conventional urban design, blending brutalism with ecological sensitivity.
Back Gardens in the Sky: The Enduring Appeal of Gailhoustet's Designs
When Renée Gailhoustet passed away in 2023, residents of Le Liégat, a social housing block she completed in 1982, displayed a heartfelt handmade sign reading: "Merci Renée." Unlike many architects criticised for creating impersonal living spaces, Gailhoustet lived in her own creation—a duplex at Le Liégat in the Parisian suburb of Ivry-sur-Seine—for over four decades.
From her living room window, several storeys up, she enjoyed views of a large cherry tree and abundant foliage. Her apartment blocks are celebrated for their informal, riotous designs, featuring terraces and loggias covered with soil, allowing residents to cultivate their own jardin derrière, or back garden.
Nature Takes Over: The Eco-Brutalist Vision
Over time, planting has enveloped the angular concrete forms of Le Liégat and her other housing schemes, softening their structures in a post-apocalyptic style that resonates on social media. This approach was rooted in a socially conscious philosophy, advocating for access to green spaces long before today's eco-architecture trends. In response to heatwaves, such as the 2003 event that claimed 15,000 lives in France, her designs provide natural shade and cooling benefits.
Gailhoustet, often labelled an "eco-brutalist," defies easy categorisation. After graduating from Paris's École des Beaux-Arts in 1961, she focused on social housing and urban planning in Paris's less privileged suburbs. Her megastructures integrated communal facilities like shops and cafes, forming complex, mini-city environments. Apartments were generously proportioned, with adaptable layouts to accommodate changing resident needs, emphasising space, light, and airflow.
Challenging Modernist Dogma: Homes as Living Spaces
While Le Corbusier famously described a house as "a machine for living in," Gailhoustet took a contrary stance. She believed homes should be shaped by their occupants, with architecture serving as a flexible template for personalisation. In her words: "The idea of social housing as an addition of little functional room boxes should not be given sociological sanction. We merely wish to create possibilities for choice."
Architect and academic Nichola Barrington-Leach, editor of an upcoming book on Gailhoustet, highlights her appeal: "Her work invites us to imagine new ways of living together as an ecosystem, reframing our relationship with nature, the city, and each other. Homes are not machines—they are gentle, human, individual spaces."
A Legacy of Innovation and Collaboration
Throughout her career, Gailhoustet built over 2,000 social homes, offering a visionary alternative to the standardised postwar housing developments common in French cities. Commissioned by leftwing municipalities, she worked within budget constraints to develop experimental designs. Barrington-Leach notes: "She used those constraints to develop her vision. You can do so much with so little."
In tandem with the book, Barrington-Leach has curated an exhibition, A Thousand and One Ways of Living, at London's Architectural Association. The exhibition features a 1:1 scale installation of a Le Liégat apartment, using suspended paper walls to convey spatial proportions. Alongside photographs and models, it showcases Gailhoustet's innovative use of hexagonal grids and lightweight partitions for adaptable living spaces.
Personal and Political Foundations
Born in Oran, Algeria, in 1929, Gailhoustet moved to Paris for university, shifting from philosophy to architecture to pursue her building ambitions. Her political activism in the Young Communist movement led to a notable incident where her nose was broken by Jean-Marie Le Pen. Between 1963 and 1985, she transformed Ivry-sur-Seine and worked on projects like La Maladrerie in Aubervilliers, a large-scale development with 850 dwellings and civic amenities.
By the 1990s, changing political climates reduced opportunities for large housing projects, leading her to close her practice in 1999. Despite being overshadowed by collaborator Jean Renaudie, her contributions are now gaining recognition. In 2022, she received the Royal Academy architecture prize, with jury chair Farshid Moussavi praising her achievements as surpassing contemporary social housing standards.
Enduring Impact and Resident Advocacy
Gailhoustet's design process was collaborative, involving residents in discussions through physical models. While some initially struggled with the unconventional layouts, her homes remain beloved and sought-after. Most are still council-owned, and resident groups actively campaign for their preservation, successfully listing several buildings.
Barrington-Leach concludes: "She proved that we can explore alternative ways of living and create a framework for our cities that allows for adaptation and reuse. Her legacy, like her architecture, is growing as a living archive." The exhibition at the Architectural Association runs until 21 March, with the book available for pre-order, celebrating a pioneering figure in modernist and eco-conscious design.
