ÉCAL students take over Appartement N°50 at Le Corbusier's Cité Radieuse
Students from Swiss university ÉCAL are the latest designers to refit an apartment in Le Corbusier's Cité Radieuse housing block in Marseille.
![Apartment N°50, Cité Radieuse by ECAL](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/06/Apartment-No-50-Cite-Radieuse-Unite-Corbusier-ECAL_dezeen_468_29.jpg)
Appartement N°50 is located in the building designed by the Swiss-French Modernist architect as the first in his Unité d'Habitation series of housing estates and completed in 1952.
![Apartment N°50, Cité Radieuse by ECAL](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/06/Apartment-No-50-Cite-Radieuse-Unite-Corbusier-ECAL_dezeen_468_27.jpg)
The annual installation programme at Appartement N°50 was started by Jean-Marc Drut and Patrick Blauwart, who bought and restored the space to live in.
![Apartment N°50, Cité Radieuse by ECAL](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/06/Apartment-No-50-Cite-Radieuse-Unite-Corbusier-ECAL_dezeen_468_10.jpg)
Since 2008, the pair have invited a designer or studio to overhaul the interior of the apartment and allowed members of the public to tour the space during the summer.
![Apartment N°50, Cité Radieuse by ECAL](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/06/Apartment-No-50-Cite-Radieuse-Unite-Corbusier-ECAL_dezeen_468_4.jpg)
"It has been, from the start, all about the transmission of historical heritage and sharing the experience of living in such a unusual place," Drut told Dezeen.
![Apartment N°50, Cité Radieuse by ECAL](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/06/Apartment-No-50-Cite-Radieuse-Unite-Corbusier-ECAL_dezeen_468_1.jpg)
Each designer selects who will be next, and so far the roster has included Jasper Morrison, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, Konstantin Grcic and Pierre Charpin.
![Apartment N°50, Cité Radieuse by ECAL](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/06/Apartment-No-50-Cite-Radieuse-Unite-Corbusier-ECAL_dezeen_468_28.jpg)
Charpin, who added colourful furniture and artwork to the space last year, chose the students on the product design course at the École Cantonale d'Art de Lausanne (ÉCAL) as his successors.
![Apartment N°50, Cité Radieuse by ECAL](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/06/Apartment-No-50-Cite-Radieuse-Unite-Corbusier-ECAL_dezeen_468_2.jpg)
"Our usual presentations are from one or two designers; this is the first time we're hosting a group show," Drut said. "It gives the younger generation a chance to confront Le Corbusier's architecture."
![Apartment N°50, Cité Radieuse by ECAL](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/06/Apartment-No-50-Cite-Radieuse-Unite-Corbusier-ECAL_dezeen_468_11.jpg)
The collaboration began in September 2014, when the group of product design students visited the apartment for a three-day workshop.
![Apartment N°50, Cité Radieuse by ECAL](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/06/Apartment-No-50-Cite-Radieuse-Unite-Corbusier-ECAL_dezeen_468_24.jpg)
Features they picked up on were the apartment's climate, the flexibility of the living space, the regular tours that take place and the use of the communal rooftop.
![Apartment N°50, Cité Radieuse by ECAL](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/06/Apartment-No-50-Cite-Radieuse-Unite-Corbusier-ECAL_dezeen_468_21.jpg)
"A team of students from various nationalities came and spent a few days with us, studying how we lived in the apartment," said Drut. "They took note of how we were using the facilities of the building – especially the roof terrace – and what they could do to 'improve' our daily life in this space."
![Apartment N°50, Cité Radieuse by ECAL](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/06/Apartment-No-50-Cite-Radieuse-Unite-Corbusier-ECAL_dezeen_468_16.jpg)
The students returned a few months later with ideas for products and accessories to furnish the apartment and roof terrace.
![Apartment N°50, Cité Radieuse by ECAL](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/06/Apartment-No-50-Cite-Radieuse-Unite-Corbusier-ECAL_dezeen_468_15.jpg)
Inside the apartment, additions include a fan to improve air flow on the mezzanine and cushions designed to fit both on the living room's indoor parapets and on the loggia tables.
![Apartment N°50, Cité Radieuse by ECAL](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/06/Apartment-No-50-Cite-Radieuse-Unite-Corbusier-ECAL_dezeen_468_12.jpg)
A large rotating lamp can be positioned to light either the dining room or the living room, while a smaller version can be used on a desk or a bedside table.
![Apartment N°50, Cité Radieuse by ECAL](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/06/Apartment-No-50-Cite-Radieuse-Unite-Corbusier-ECAL_dezeen_468_13.jpg)
A rug patterned with the layout of Marseille shows how Le Corbusier's building fits into the urban context, and a measuring device called the Unit Metre provides visitors with a tool to explain the architect's Modulor proportion system.
![Apartment N°50, Cité Radieuse by ECAL](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/06/Apartment-No-50-Cite-Radieuse-Unite-Corbusier-ECAL_dezeen_468_26.jpg)
Folding tables and chairs allow the residents to migrate from the living room to the roof, taking with them a picnic box that contains all the items needed for an al-fresco aperitif.
![Apartment N°50, Cité Radieuse by ECAL](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/06/Apartment-No-50-Cite-Radieuse-Unite-Corbusier-ECAL_dezeen_468_23.jpg)
"[The students] were very interested in interacting with this iconic building, on the occasion of the various celebrations taking place to commemorate 50 years after Le Corbusier's death," said Drut.
![Apartment N°50, Cité Radieuse by ECAL](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/06/Apartment-No-50-Cite-Radieuse-Unite-Corbusier-ECAL_dezeen_468_18.jpg)
The ÉCAL installation at Appartement N°50 runs from 4 to 19 July 2015 to coincide with a Design Parade event organised by Villa Noailles in nearby Hyères.
![Apartment N°50, Cité Radieuse by ECAL](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/06/Apartment-No-50-Cite-Radieuse-Unite-Corbusier-ECAL_dezeen_468_25.jpg)
A 52-page publication about the project created by the school's Art Direction masters students is also available from the flat.
Photography is by Michel Bonvin.