France - Renovation of Eileen Gray’s Villa E1027 < Society

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France - Renovation of Eileen Gray’s Villa E1027

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A true icon of modern architecture, Villa E1027, designed by Eileen Gray, the innovative early 20th-century architect and interior designer, is a concrete building which has been listed as an historic monument since 2000.

Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
R&D - Concrete/France

Objectives

Rescued from an advanced state of dilapidation by the Conservatoire du Littoral in 1999, Villa E1027 has since undergone extensive internal and external renovation. The aim of these works was to restore this example of French architectural heritage to new condition, while respecting the techniques and materials used at the time it was designed.

Summary

Lafarge played an active part in restoring Villa E1027 thanks to its research center. This meant 5 of the Group's specialists working on the projects to:

assess the damage to the construction,
then scientifically analyze the concretes, renders and paints used by Eileen Gray in order to identify the exact formulation of the original materials.

Results

This expertise and analysis enabled the architect in charge of the renovation to draw up a specification for materials which was as precise as possible and which respected the building to be restored.
Restoration of the Villa's exterior is now complete, and renovation of the interiors, the gardens and Le Corbusier's murals should be finished by the end of 2009.

Total cost

The project's total cost is nearly 600,000 euros. Lafarge has contributed through:

financial patronage of 91,500 euros,
scientific and technological patronage.

Persons concerned

a dedicated team of 5 specialists from Lafarge's Research center working under the head of the center's technology monitoring and product standardization,
Pierre-Antoine Gatier, head architect for historic monuments and project manager,
the inhabitants of Roquebrune Cap-Martin and visitors to E1027.