Immeuble de 6 logements dit « Camus haut »
Monument
Immeuble de 6 logements dit « Camus haut », located in Annay-sous-Lens (Pas-de-Calais), is a historic monument. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Location
- Annay-sous-Lens, Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 50.4602, 2.8921
- Mérimée Reference
- PA62000168
In the heart of the Pas-de-Calais coalfield, the "Camus haut" building in Annay-sous-Lens embodies the architectural boldness of post-war reconstruction: six streamlined homes, a modular facade and listed industrial heritage.
History
Nestled in the commune of Annay-sous-Lens, a stone's throw from the emblematic slag heaps of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais coalfield, the building known as "Camus haut" is a rare and precious example of 20th-century mass architecture applied to workers' housing. Listed as a Historic Monument in February 2023, this building of six dwellings has become a landmark in the architectural and social history of the region. What distinguishes "Camus haut" from the ordinary buildings of its time is the application of the heavy prefabrication process known as the "Camus system", developed in France in the immediate post-war period in response to the acute housing crisis. Designed to be reproducible on a large scale, this system nevertheless offers, in its Annays version, a quality of implementation and a formal coherence that give it real architectural dignity. The sober volumes, rhythmic joints and geometric composition of the façade bear witness to a time when the utopia of housing for all was taking shape in concrete. Visiting the "Camus haut" building is like plunging into a little-known part of French history: that of modest housing estates, far from anonymous blocks, designed on a human scale for the families of miners and workers. The building, which is still inhabited, is part of a dense urban fabric where the "corons" houses and community facilities tell the story of four generations of working-class life. The surrounding setting reinforces the point: the twin slag heaps of Loos-en-Gohelle, listed by UNESCO as part of the Mining Basin, loom large on the horizon, reminding us that this district was for a long time at the heart of the largest coal-mining region in Europe. Camus haut" is a particularly relevant part of this geography of memory. For visitors sensitive to industrial heritage and social history, the building offers a subtle interpretation of ordinary modernity: that of a France that, after the destruction of the Second World War, chose technical innovation to rebuild its most battered territories with dignity.
Architecture
The "Camus haut" building is representative of the heavy prefabrication process known as the "Camus system", characterised by the assembly of large concrete panels cast in a factory and then assembled on site. The load-bearing structure is made entirely of reinforced concrete, using a principle of regularly-spaced load-bearing transverse walls that give the façade its distinctive geometric rhythm. The joints between panels, sometimes highlighted by a specific surface treatment, are one of the most characteristic plastic elements of this moderate Brutalist aesthetic. The building comprises six dwellings spread over several storeys - probably two storeys over a ground floor, in keeping with the typical dimensions of Camus buildings for workers in the coalfield. The façades feature a regular composition of rectangular windows, sometimes arranged in horizontal bands or vertical bays, depending on the variant of the system. Balconies or loggias, where present, add a slight depth to the façade and were a notable feature of comfort and social distinction for the period. The roofing materials probably consist of an accessible terrace or a low-pitched roof covered in waterproof industrial materials, in keeping with the construction practices of the modern movement in France. The ensemble, sober and functional, draws its aesthetic strength from the rigour of its composition and the quality of its implementation, two qualities that distinguish the best-preserved "Camus" buildings and fully justify their heritage listing.
Related Figures
Raymond Camus — ingénieur et entrepreneur français, inventeur du procédé de préfabrication lourde dit « système Camus » dans les années 1948-1950Eugène Claudius-Petit — ministre de la Reconstruction et de l'Urbanisme (1948-1953), promoteur des grandes politiques de construction de logements sociaux en France d'après-guerreLes Houillères du Bassin du Nord-Pas-de-Calais — organisme public gestionnaire des mines, principal commanditaire de logements ouvriers dans la région après la nationalisation de 1946Les habitants fondateurs — familles de mineurs et d'ouvriers d'Annay-sous-Lens qui ont occupé l'immeuble dès sa livraison, témoins vivants de l'histoire sociale du bassin minier
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Immeuble de 6 logements dit « Camus haut » located?
Immeuble de 6 logements dit « Camus haut » is located in Annay-sous-Lens, Pas-de-Calais department, Hauts-de-France region, France.
Is Immeuble de 6 logements dit « Camus haut » open to visitors?
Immeuble de 6 logements dit « Camus haut » is currently closed to visitors.