Les Espaces d'Abraxas
Les Espaces d'Abraxas is a monumental apartment complex in Noisy-le-Grand near Paris.[1] It was designed by Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura[2] as social housing for an increasing migrant population in France.[1]
| Coordinates | 48°50′25″N 02°32′35″E |
|---|---|
| Location | Noisy-le-Grand |
| Designer | Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura |
| Type | Housing |
| Material | Precast concrete |
| Beginning date | 1978 |
| Completion date | 1982 |
| Opening date | 1983 |
Description
The large complex of 591 apartments was designed in 1978 and completed in 1982.[1] It rapidly acquired iconic status, amplified by its use as background sets in movies and music clips. It consists of three buildings: Le Palacio (the palace) is the largest, followed by Le Théâtre (the theater) to its west, and the smaller L'Arc (the arch) between the other two.[3] Le Palacio has 441 housing units, Le Théâtre has 130, and L'Arc has 20.[2]
In the decades following its creation, living conditions in the complex have deteriorated[4] to the extent that its demolition was debated in the mid-2010s.[1][5] In 2018, the city of Noisy-le-Grand announced that Ricardo Bofill would oversee the renovation of Les Espaces d'Abraxas and of a number of nearby developments, including new construction.[6]
Name and location
"Les Espaces d'Abraxas" literally translates to 'Abraxas's Spaces' and is a reference to the biblical greek Abraxas. This classical reference may be linked to the buildings post-modern architecture style, which also has visual references to Ancient Greek and Roman architecture.[7]
The building is located within the Noisy-le-Grand region, a commune found in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. The building is accessible via the Réseau Express Régional (RER), which travels directly from the centre of Paris (Paris Gare de Lyon) to Noisy-le-Grand Mont d’Est train station. Noisy-le-Grand is located in Zone 4 of the RATP (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens).[8]
In popular culture
The unusual and monumental appearance of the Espaces d'Abraxas has made it a favorite background set for unreal, often dystopian narratives. It features prominently in Brazil (1985) and in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015).[2] It also appears in À mort l'arbitre (1984),[9] F.B.I. Frog Butthead Investigators (2012), and the French TV mini-series Trepalium (2016).
It also appears in music videos by Stéphanie of Monaco (Ouragan, 1986), Leck (Fais le L, 2012), Carbon Airways (Break the Silence, 2015), Marwa Loud (Fallait pas, 2017),[10] Médine (Grand Paris, 2017), Adel Tawil (Tu m’appelles, 2017), and Ufo361 (Nur zur Info, 2020).
The building and its inhabitants are features in French photographer Laurent Kronental's ongoing photo series Souvenir d'un Futur.[1] The photo series centres on the occupants of the various "Grands Ensembles" in Paris.
See also
Notes
- Taylor-Foster, James (1 October 2015). "A Utopian Dream Stood Still". ArchDaily. Architecture Daily. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
- Stevens, Philip (7 March 2017). "Ricardo Bofill's Postmodern Housing Complex near Paris". designboom | architecture & design magazine. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
- "Les Espaces D'Abraxas". Emporis. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
- Elvire Camus (8 February 2014). "En Seine-Saint-Denis, les illusions perdues d'une utopie urbaine". Le Monde.
- "Faut-il démolir les Espaces d'Abraxas ?". Ma Plume 2.0. 4 March 2014.
- Alain Piffaretti (20 January 2018). "Noisy-le-Grand remodèle ses quartiers". Le Monde.
- Schuman, Tony (1986-10-01). "Utopia Spurned: Ricardo Bofill and the French Ideal City Tradition". Journal of Architectural Education. 40 (1): 20–29. doi:10.1080/10464883.1986.11102651. ISSN 1046-4883.
- "Rer a map | RATP". www.ratp.fr. Retrieved 2022-04-04.
- Myriam Roche (15 September 2016). "On a visité les décors du dernier "Hunger Games" pour les Journées du patrimoine 2016 et on s'y croirait". Le Huffington Post.
- Alexis Bayat (22 December 2017). "Marwa Loud ambiance à nouveau dans le clip "Fallait Pas"". Booska-P.