The Unité d’Habitation in Marseille was completed in 1952.
Designed by Le Corbusier with collaborators including Shadrach Woods and George Candilis, the Marseille building was constructed between 1947 and 1952. It is also known as La Cité Radieuse, meaning “The Radiant City,” and was the first and most famous realization of Le Corbusier’s Unité d’Habitation concept.
The project was conceived as a self-contained “vertical city” for postwar housing. Its 337 apartments use duplex layouts arranged around internal streets, while shops and services occupy part of the building. The roof terrace includes communal facilities such as a running track, sculptural ventilation structures and spaces for recreation.
The building’s rough exposed concrete became especially influential. Steel had initially been considered, but postwar shortages and expense encouraged the use of béton brut, allowing the construction process and material texture to remain visible. That approach helped inspire later Brutalist housing. Marseille’s Unité was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2016 as part of Le Corbusier’s architectural work.