THE HOUSING ESTATE AS PART OF THE CITY: A CASE STUDY OF POUILLON'S USE OF SYMMETRY AND PICTURESQUENESS IN HIS ALGIERS HOUSING ESTATES

摘要

In the 1950s, French architect Fernand Pouillon proposed a new interpretation of symmetry and picturesqueness as principles of architectural composition. He managed to reconcile these two design elements in social housing, believing that urban planning is the first step of architecture and considering the housing estate as part of the city. At the same time, Auguste Choisy's discovery of the logic behind the layout of the buildings of the Acropolis of Athens allowed for the development of Le Corbusier's picturesque interpretation of the free plan and the architectural promenade. These new interpretations resulted in traditional composition becoming synonymous with a static, "paralyzed" plan. Through an analysis of Pouillon's three housing estates in Algiers, this article seeks to understand Pouillon's new interpretation by identifying his references and tools and discussing the logic of the composition of his designs.