Le Corbusier Unité d'habitation, Marseille

If there is one building by Le Corbusier that represents a synthesis of his basic concepts it is certainly the Unité d’habitation built in Marseille in 1946–52. This built manifesto does not simply put forward a social model as a utopia, but also the unity of architecture and town planning. It is one of the most significant buildings there has even been, but it also triggered a great deal of controversy. The story of the response to it has been recorded in order to investigate why this extremely ambitious project in particular should have caused such a conflict between intention and effect. The Unité d’habitation in Marseille is now very popular with the people who live in it as a building. Despite all the criticism, it obviously still offers functional advantages that make it easier for individuals and the community to live together. The enormous sculptural force and the characteristic interplay of light and colour shown in the photographs make the building into a 'personality' that can be identified with.