20th century architecture
Overview of the research programme
The built heritage inherited from the 20th century, especially that built after 1945, is a major part of the fabric of our cities. It presents a great typological and constructive diversity that allows to envisage multiple strategies of adaptation, transformation, restoration, recycling and re-employment. It is an important source of energy savings, but it is also a land, spatial, economic, identity and cultural resource that can be mobilized by the various actors in architecture and planning.
The research programme «20th century architecture, project material for the sustainable city of the 21st century» Its ambition is to bring out innovative intervention strategies and adapted project processes, which would make it possible to provide meaningful responses to the major societal challenges posed by global change and the challenge of the ecological transition.
This research program of the Ministry of Culture is carried out jointly with the Ministry of the Ecological and Solidarity Transition and the Ministry of Cohesion of the territories in connection with the Caisse des dépôts et consignations, the Social Union for Housing, the National Agency for Urban Renewal and the Plan urbanisme construction architecture (REHA program).
It follows the contours of the State’s policy for the sustainable development of cities and territories and aims to support research projects that question the capacity of 20th century architecture to make the city sustainable and to integrate the challenges of adaptation, the transformation, restoration and enhancement of an architectural and urban heritage that constitutes the essential of our living environment.
It responds to priority issues of the Ministry of Culture as stated in the national strategy for architecture (SNA) which identifies existing buildings as a priority area of intervention for professionals in the planning and living environment; the CASL Act which establishes, with the label «remarkable contemporary architecture», a process of recognition of the most emblematic values of this architecture and a monitoring of its transformations; finally the multiannual heritage strategy which underlines the need for professional heritage training to take greater account of the new challenges of territorial revitalization, sustainable development and public mediation.
The program has two components:
- Strand 1 "Capitalization of knowledge, promotion of experiences" gave rise to three calls for proposals in 2016 (5 winning teams), 2017 (3 winning teams) and 2018 (5 winning teams).
- Strand 2 "Experimentation" gave rise to a call for projects in 2019 (6 winning teams).
To download:
Presentation brochure of the program "Architecture of the twentieth century" (French version)
Presentation brochure of the program "Architecture of the twentieth century" (English version)
December 2022
20th Century Architecture Results Summary Table
Researchers, ENSA, subjects, corpus and sites, reports, publications, follow-ups, etc.
Contact and information :
Isabelle Bertrand
Project manager at the Office of Architectural, Urban and Landscape Research
Ministry of Culture and Communication
182, rue Saint-Honoré - 75001 Paris
isabelle.bertrand@culture.gouv.fr
Also to be read
Published by Éditions du Patrimoine, collection «research & architecture»
“20th Century Architecture – Cultural Heritage and Project Material”
Published January 2023
Publication director: Philippe Grandvoinnet