We congratulate the Barcelona studio Peris + Toral for their project “85 Social Housing Units” nomination as a finalist for the Mies van der Rohe Award, along with five other candidates ✨.
The interior sliding systems, designed by our client customer KLEIN Europe, enable dynamic partitions and adaptable interiors, key to the originality of this project.
Home design as a unit that is always customizable: a new value proposition, recognized with this nomination.
The Architecture and the Emerging Architecture Awards will be announced at the end of April.
Unveiled in
1932, this masterpiece symbolizes the perfect understanding between an
architect and his clients. Robert Mallet-Stevens, an innovative architect,
lover of straight lines and conceptual simplicity, was hired by the Cavrois, a
bourgeois couple from northern France who had heard about the architect’s
previous work and who had a very clear and avant-garde vision of the home they
wished to build.
Surrounded by a
200,000-square-foot garden with a modern pond, the chateau that the
Cavrois dreamed of had a stark facade measuring 200 linear feet, plus 30,000
square feet of livable space. Its large windows and numerous terraces, along
with a multitude of bright, ample interior spaces, were quite unconventional
for that time in history. Natural materials, such as wood and marble, very
advanced technologies for the era (central heating, telephones, elevators,
etc.), and an absolutely functional layout continue to lend a heavy dose of
modernity to its light-filled interior spaces. Robert Mallet-Stevens was
responsible for not only the architectural aspect, but also the interior
design, the furniture, and the rest of the project, all based on straight
lines, simple shapes, superior materials and maximum functionality.
Both an
architectural icon and an artistic legacy, Villa Cavrois was recognized as such
by the French government when it was acquired in 2001, with the aim of carrying
out a thorough restoration process, necessary given the mansion’s general state
of abandon and destruction after it was abandoned in the late 80s and
subsequently looted and vandalized.
Prior to
beginning work, a group of historians, architects and expert artisans performed
an in-depth study of the existing documentation, allowing the restoration to be
carried out in perfect harmony with the original project.
They were able
to restore or reproduce the majority of the decorative pieces, such as lighting
and furniture, thanks to old photographs and archaeological remains. The
original materials were identified and located. Expert artisans reproduced
techniques that are no longer used in order to preserve the project’s
personality and originality, despite the passage of time and the damage
incurred. Remnants of paintings left on the walls helped them identify the
exact colors that were so characteristic of the mansion’s interior spaces. The villa, though quite sparse in terms of
decoration, had boasted luxurious materials, robbed or destroyed in the 20
years leading up to the restoration. The marble, which disappeared in the 90s,
was reinstalled, and the parquet floors were restored 70 years later by the
same company that installed them in 1932… It was also decided that one of the
bedrooms in the upper part of the building would be left unrestored, as a
testament to the mansion’s tumultuous past.
The restoration
of the building’s exterior took 12 years, and the interior spaces were only
finished in 2015. This work is estimated to have cost about 23 million euros.
Since 2012,
Villa Cavrois has been part of a global restoration program for iconic homes
from the twentieth century, and it is open to visitors. All of the beauty and
charm from its perilous history is now on display. It’s an essential trip for
anyone visiting the Lille area.
Take a look at the before and after, the rebirth
of Villa Cavrois.
