Oscar Niemeyer in Paris. Modernist party headquarters

The edifice has had monument status for several years. The headquarters of the French Communist Party in Paris is a modernist building designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. The individual parts of the Parisian building directly refer to the architect’s characteristic treatments.

Work on his project began in the early 1960s. The architect’s task was to design a building with an office function, which would be extended to include a meeting room for party members. The architect therefore divided the project into several parts, which were implemented gradually.

The main part of the office building was built first. Construction work was completed in 1971. This was followed by the construction of the meeting hall, which was partly built underground. The meeting room was put into use in 1980.

The modernist building is a characteristic example of Oscar Niemeyer’s work. The streamlined shapes or the honesty in the form of the visible formwork of the concrete structure… The architect took care of every detail here.

The party headquarters is located in the corner of the plot. In its central part, a white dome marks its presence. This is the canopy of the meeting room. The dome is a skylight that lets daylight into the white interior. The office building itself seems to surround the meeting room. The building is set on a concrete structure that consists of several cups and gradually connects to the central square. The technical part was designed in the left wing. This is where the entrance to the underground car park and the lift shaft are located. The details are worth noting. Even the guard’s booth has been designed to visually fit in with the entire edifice. Another big plus is the staircase shaft, which leads up to the top floor like a concrete tube.

The glass façade was designed by Jean Prouvé, who was the building’s engineer. The building itself was entered in the register of monuments quite quickly in 2007, just 27 years after its completion. The building can be seen at 2 Place du Colonel Fabien.

photo: Kamil Białas

Read also: France | Modernism | Concrete | Detail | Curiosities | whiteMAD on Instagram