Proof that modernity can work hand in hand with traditional mountain towns and their natural surroundings, 5 sites in Les Arcs / Bourg-Saint-Maurice have been awarded "20th Century Architecture" status:
- Bourg-Saint-Maurice's town hall and cinema,
- Town planning for Arc 1600 and Arc 1800,
- The Aiguille-Rouge cable car stations.
A number of fundamental rules were presented to the resort's designers:
- Respect for the area and its natural surroundings.
- Conservation of the existing mountain chalets that stand alongside modern buildings, which shouldn't try to imitate them but instead should emphasise their authenticity.
- Use of local materials, such as wood: fir and larch shingles (roof tiles like the ones made by carpenters in days of yore).
If traditional architecture was the perfect solution to the needs of a rural population, then Les Arcs' architecture aims to be the perfect solution to the needs of today's tourists.
Our residential buildings are painstakingly designed to blend into the surrounding natural environment without impacting on their own, or any other building's views.
The choice of well-sourced natural materials creates a charming sense of warmth and relaxation at the heart of these pedestrianised resorts. Vehicles are not allowed for safety reasons and for the well-being of our holidaymakers.
Working alongside Le Corbusier, Perriand was able to achieve exactly the right balance between simplicity, functionality, comfort and aesthetics. The impact of the outside world is felt thanks to large picture windows, raised balconies, the lack of buildings overlooking one another and open plan kitchens...
All of these innovative devices in interior design and architecture are illustrative of a new philosophy and approach that went alongside a shift in social attitudes (most notably in relation to the role of women in society).