Affordable housing

In Paris, you'll find several red bricks buildings like this one. Most of them were built around Paris between 1920 and 1950 and are what we call HBM (for Habitation à bon marché). Their rent is controlled by the government and adjusted according to your income and the number of children you have. Needless to say that you have to register on a list and wait for years before you get an apartment  like this! They are considered as less classy that the typical Haussmannian buidlings of course, but they are definitely part of the Paris landscape!

Back to the Paris 13 tower

Do you remember my post about the Paris 13 tower? A building that was about to be destroyed and was turned into an art squat until the end of last year? Well I passed by it yesterday and it's still standing (it takes months if not years to do anything in a big city like Paris because of all the regulations we have), but it really looks like it's going to be taken down soon now. I so wish I could be there when they do it! In the meantime, have another look at the website they made, it's really good.

The new Carreau du Temple

In the 3rd arrondissemment, there is a beautiful building all in cast iron, called Le Carreau du temple. It  has a very interesting history and used to be among many things, a covered clothes market that lasted until year 2000. In 1976, the local mayor thought of tearing it down to replace it with a... parking lot! but people protested and the stupid project never saw the light of day. Between 2007 and now, it has totally been renovated and turned into a 250 seat auditorium and - below ground level - sport and cultural facilities, including a recording studio. I cannot wait till I visit the inside!

Sky is the limit!

I took this photo in the 13th arrondissement, in the main "Chinese quarter" of Paris. In fact there are three Chinese quarters in Paris and this one is the most recent one. A lot of Asians - and not only Chinese, but people from Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia who fled the war and/or communism - settled down there in the 70's because... there was room for them in this area. Why? Because several towers had just been completed, but the new French young middle class which was originally the target rejected them... Now, we still find them pretty ugly, but we're used to them and on a clear day they make interesting photos!

Turning old into new...

Yesterday, I passed by a former HQ of a bank (Le Crédit Lyonnais) which is currently being totally renovated and turned into a brand new and connected building. To do so, they kept the beautiful facade and emptied the inside of the building totally so that you have the best of the two worlds: the look of the old outside, the comfort of modernity inside. Isn't that clever? I did not know what photo to take and I finally chose to shoot behind the grids. To have a better and broader view, check they website (you'll see drawings of  course since the building is not completed yet).

The Galliera palace has just reopened...

A long long time ago, I posted this photo of the Galliera Palace (after Duchess of Galliera), a stunning building that was built between 1878 and 1894 and that now shelters the fashion museum of Paris. In 2009 it closed for renovation and it just reopened about a month ago. It's an absolute must see if you come to Paris, not only for what you can see inside (at the moment there is an exhibition dedicated to designer Azzedine Alaïa), but also because you can enjoy a nice walk and rest in the garden around it.

Seeing red!

It's pretty unusual to see bright color buildings like this red one in Paris... that is precisely why I stopped on my way and took this shot at rue de la Glacière in the 13th arrondissement. It's pretty unusual because as you can guess there are strict regulations in Paris, when it comes to building/ renovating/ painting a building and a facade. Only it depends on the area (you surely could not paint a Haussmann building in red!) and if you manage to get the authorization for the town hall. They obviously did!

Tax evasion...

Like in many countries at the moment, there is a big debate in France about tax evasion... It is said that every year the French government loses about 80 billion euros in unpaid taxes, mostly because of tax havens. Up to a point that several insiders (mostly people who used to work in banks) have decided to disclose key information to the authorities (read more here). Why I am saying all this? Because, by pure coincidence, I happened to have a meeting in front of the Brigade financière (a sort of  French IRS) today and that is where I took this photo! Pretty cool isn't it? (And before you ask, NO, I did not go there because I cheated with my taxes!)

Industrial buildings of the past...

I doubt very much that, when Joseph Leclaire conceived this building in 1890 he imagined that in the 2000's his building would be listed among the protected buildings of Paris! And though it is and I can understand why, because it's a real masterpiece. Originally it was a compressed air plant that would power many things in Paris including what I once introduced you to as the Paris Wide Web! They apparently closed it in 1994. now it's an architecture school and a public library. I must visit the inside... 

Riciotti's nest

I really look up to architects. Not only do they have to know what is physically feasible when they build a building, but on top of that they have to make it original/nice/creative... Hence this one, called Le nid (the nest), a stunning building designed by Rudy Riciotti which is soon going to be completed (the building, not Rudy!). I really fell in love with it and I can't wait till it's opened to the public, for, I read, the inside is going to be as spectacular as the outside...

The little house in the Paree (part II)

Here is a very unusual house that I spotted at Place Martin Nadaud, in the 20th arrondissement. If you look carefully you'll see it has a "forest theme" : the steps are shaped like tree logs, there are several "branches" embedded into the walls and  even the entrance "grid" is shaped like a little wooden fence! I read that it was built in 1900, but nobody knows why the architect used this theme. Anyway, I thought it was photo worthy. BTW nobody really lives there, it's a day care facility. 

The modern side of Paris

Manhattan? Dubai? Nah... Paris! Yesterday evening, in the heart of the 14th arrondissement ! Contrary to a popular belief, Paris is not all about Haussmannian buildings, but also about new(er) architecture like this building that I came across with yesterday. It's always a big controversy here: must we keep the "traditional Paris" as it is (leading most of the time to tearing down the whole structure of a building, but its facade!) or must we erect buildings that match their time, like this one for instance. I don't have the answer to that...  

Music at the opera...

I'm sure you understand why the title of this post is "Music at the opera" and not "opera music"!  For yes, the monument in the background is for sure the famous Opéra Garnier, that is the opera house that was built by Charles Garnier between 1861 and 1875, but the band in front is Les Plaies Mobiles, a horn band that plays in front of several Paris monuments from time to time. I love them!

Institut du monde arabe

I think I only showed you the Institut du Monde Arabe (the Arab World Institute) only once. An though it's a stunning building, built between 1981 and 1987 by architect Jean Nouvel and located in the 5th arrondissement. The part you see in the background that recalls the Arab architecture, is composed of 240 photo-sensitive motor-controlled shutters, that automatically open and close to control the amount of sun entering the building. I love it! Not to mention Noura, the restaurant located on the last floor where you can enjoy a beautiful view over Paris.

3rd arrondissement town hall

Like you may know, Paris is divided into 20 districts, called arrondissements. Each of them has its own town hall (on top of the main one called Hotel de Ville). Most of them are real masterpieces for they were built during the 19th century, when Paris was growing and becoming richer and richer...  This one, for instance, is the 3rd arrondissement town hall and it's a real masterpiece. It was built between 1864 and 1867  on the remains of an old lavoir. FYI, 34250 people live in the 3rd arrondissement and it accounts for 1,6% of the total Paris population.

Do judge a city by its facades!

I love the facades of Paris (well, most of them...). It's like walking through a history book. Sunday evening I was invited at friends' in the 15th arrondissement and I took this photo from their balcony! This is very interesting because you can see two types of facade: a typical Art Deco one from the 30's on the left and a little bit of what we call "post Haussmannian" style on the right. The latter is different from the original Haussmannian because of the "discovery" of elevators; top floors were no longer for servants, but for rich people who were not afraid to have to climb stairs anymore and wanted to enjoy more light. I love Paris!

The backside of Paris

In Paris, the law normally requires that all facades be cleaned once every 10 years minimum, but it's rarely the case. You've noticed it if you came here, the city of light is not all about mint condition buildings and spotless Haussmanian facades! A lot of places need a good paint job, if not more... This is particularly true for the back side of apartment buildings, the part that you cannot see from the street and that generally overlook a little courtyard, like in this photo. Still, with a ray of sun, everything looks prettier ;-) 

Paris Flat Iron

I took this photo at the corner of rue de Hanovre and rue du 4 septembre, a street that starts near the Opera. It made me think right away of the Flat iron in New York City. Of course it has only 5 or 6 stories (vs 22 stories for the NYC one!). It's a beautiful building - typical of some of the Paris architecture), but I have been totally unable to find any information about it. 

Through the Cité de la Mode

You may remember La Cité de la mode et du Design, a pretty new building (it was inaugurated in 2007) that looks over the Seine. Very creative, it was a bit controversial (isn't everything?!) because the architects Dominique Jakob and Brendan Mac Farlane added a sort of green glass skin on the facade that faces the water (see some photos here). Last week I went there and here is the photo I took from the inside. I love the effect!

Creative architecture

You find this building a little dark for a Haussmanian construction? You're right, but wait the story is interesting! As you can guess, it's not a real one, but a concrete cast of a Haussmanian facade. And why is it so? Because the architect (Edouard François), had to solve a problem: unify 7 different era buildings into a unique one. He had the clever idea to hide them behind this facade, that he calls a "concrete 3D wall paper with glass windows hanging like paintings". Pretty creative... BTW, it's a hotel and it's located at the corner of rue Quentin Bauchartd and rue Vernet, just off the Champs Elysées.