Architecture | Michel Guthmann's "Gray Flannel Suit" Part II | CFile

The vogue for white glazed bricks of New York City buildings (mainly apartments) in the 1960’s and 1970’s has been satirically described (and not too flatteringly) as the “white polyester suit” of architecture. Over time they have gathered their fans.

At the moment there seems to be a rush of extremely handsome grey brick buildings worldwide. They share a certain soft chic, richness of tonality and offer a wide range of simple pattern options often using black brick as a highlight. In this issue we focus on three of these “gray flannel suits” of architecture. Links to the other posts in the series appear below.

Our second installment in this series comes from Michel Guthmann’s Architecture and Urbanisme firm of Paris. The firm employed larch windowboxes along with gray brick to give this building its distinctive look. The project was built on the site of a former hospital and includes 57 social housing apartments, a hostel and a cinema, according to Dezeen.

The architect said that the project is comprised of a “rigorous organization” of blocks, colors and natural materials, the goal being to fit the building in to a historic continuity that preserves the original residential character of the neighborhood. The brickwork has different finishes depending on the orientation of the walls. The southeast and southwest orientations have a textured surface to diffuse sunlight while two north-facing walls are polished.

Above image: Apartments by Michel Guthmann in Paris. Photograph by Michel Denancé.

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