Firminy by Le Corbusier 2022 explores one of the most remarkable achievements of the Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier. He implemented his visionary ideas in the French commune of Firminy in central France, where he sought to unite three essential dimensions of human life: culture and leisure, sport, and worship. The result was one of the most ambitious architectural works of the modern era.

The mid-twentieth century was marked by intensive urban reconstruction and development, a process in which Le Corbusier played a major role. One of his most important projects was Firminy-Vert (“Green Firminy”), a modernist complex that includes the Church of Saint-Pierre, a cultural center, a stadium, and residential housing. Designed according to the principles of modernism, the complex is considered one of the most successful post–World War II urban planning projects.

Each structure within the complex has its own history. The first to be built was the cultural center, initially designed in 1956 and completed in 1965 — the only building finished during the architect’s lifetime. Construction of the residential unit began in 1965 and was completed in 1967, although additional work continued for several years afterward.

After Le Corbusier’s death, the project was brought to completion by his student André Wogenscky. The stadium, designed in 1954, began construction in 1966 under the direction of Fernand Gardien and Wogenscky. The Church of Saint-Pierre, begun in 1973, was completed 41 years after the architect’s death.

Watch Firminy by Le Corbusier online on the MEGOGO streaming platform.