The Residence – Port La Galère

History :

In the years 60 the promoter Charles Tiffen has the intuition to combine an extraordinary site unconventional architecture sculpture formal research of Jacques Couëlle, in order to seduce wealthy clients sensitive to fashion and a certain exuberance. His strategy requires that three-quarters of the apartments are sold on plans before you undertake the project.
After a sketch of intent, defines the spirit of the new residence, and production of the first tranche of work, the relationship between Charles Tiffen and Jacques Couëlle degrade. Couëlle is relegated to the role of Adviser artistic then abandons the site. The completion of the operation is entrusted to the architect Leopold Vitorge (1968). On the other hand Antti Lovag shows have followed the construction site where he worked with Jacques Couëlle.

The Marine City of port_la_galere is a composed luxury residence d ’ buildings of three to four levels on average offering a total 400 apartments facing the sea. It is equipped with a private port, a harbour master's office, shops, a summer Club and a winter Club, each with pool and restaurant. It offers many outdoor spaces, gardens and artificial beaches.
Organic inspiration, each building is identified with a ”Grappe” accessible housing by systems of gateways. Reinterprets the proliferating of buildings structure, in a picturesque form supported, the theme of the vernacular. To the lyricism of the masses echo elements of finishing work and decoration in ironwork, copper, ceramics and colored glass, lean back on a vocabulary of organic forms, popular spirit, Merry and inventive.
During construction the plastic language of the facades has evolved in a spirit that one can imagine more beholden to Vitorge What to Jacques Couëlle. The curves of the sculpture architecture is smooth and will progressively simplify. Vitorge abandoned appearance waving of all for him prefer a drawing of vertical turning body guards, away from the facades of the first housing made in front of the sea under the direction of Couëlle, referring to nests of insects dug into the rock. Vitorge simplifies the overall massing and strengthens the horizontality of the facades changing the structural frame which passes from 5 to 7 metres wide. According to the technique of Couëlle, the façades are modeled in plaster on metal frames hung on the structure of the buildings.
The domestic allocation of housing is foreign to the universe of Jacques Couëlle and his search for organicity. Total, the direct participation of Jacques Couëlle the site may be limited to the only achievement of the hotel said Winter Club. The sculptor Toni Grand realize the entry door and the “grids” Windows of this building (and probably also the home of the fireplace). True to his first way, Jacques Couëlle puts recovered ancient items (neoclassical pediment stone).