Maison Pic
MonumentHidden Treasure
Maison Pic, located in Bergerac (Dordogne), is a modern edifice built in the 19th-20th centuries. The monument is currently closed to visitors.
Key facts
- Type
- autre
- Period
- Modern (19th-20th century)
- Location
- Bergerac, Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
- Visit
- Closed to visitors
- GPS
- 44.8412, 0.4938
- Mérimée Reference
- PA24000065
Perched on stilts above the Dordogne, the Maison Pic embodies the audacity of Bergerac modernism in the 1950s: a listed work of contemporary architecture, suspended between the sky and the river.
History
In the heart of Bergerac, the Maison Pic is one of the most distinctive examples of modernist architecture in Périgord. Built between 1956 and 1959 by the architects Georges Lacaze and René Fray, it stands out from the outset for its radical architectural approach: standing on stilts, it seems to float above the ground, giving a free view of the Dordogne and defying the building conventions of its time. What makes the Maison Pic truly unique is its inventive response to a constraint that was, at first sight, prohibitive. The plot of land on which it stands is narrow and enclosed, hardly conducive to the construction of an exceptional residence. Lacaze and Fray have transformed this difficulty into an architectural manifesto: by raising the house off the ground, they have not only freed up the ground floor but also offered its occupants a panoramic and almost fusional relationship with the Périgord river. This dialogue between architecture and landscape evokes the philosophy of Le Corbusier, whose "five points of modern architecture" - pilotis first and foremost - clearly inform the design of the building. The Maison Pic experience is one of suspension between two worlds: the urban fabric of Bergerac on one side, the gentle flow of the Dordogne on the other. The house opens out generously towards the river, playing with the changing light of the Périgord, from golden dawns to the purplish twilights that set the valley ablaze. Every window becomes a frame, every façade a belvedere. Listed as a Historic Monument by decree on 27 March 2008, the Maison Pic has received belated but well-deserved official recognition, confirming the heritage value of architecture from the second half of the 20th century in France. It is part of a national movement to enhance the value of so-called "recent" heritage, long neglected in favour of medieval or classical buildings.
Architecture
The Maison Pic is resolutely in keeping with the vocabulary of the international Modern Movement, as it spread in France in the immediate post-war period under the influence of Corbusé. Its most immediately striking feature is its system of pilotis, which lifts the living space off the ground and creates an impression of lightness and suspension on the façade. This system, which refers back to the "five points of modern architecture" theorised by Le Corbusier in 1927, is fully embraced here as a founding gesture. The volumetric composition of the house reflects a quest for elegant functionalism: the façades, probably rendered or clad in the smooth materials typical of the period, open wide towards the river through large bay windows designed to maximise light and the panoramic view over the Dordogne. The layout, constrained by the narrowness of the plot, is probably organised lengthways, with the distribution of interior spaces optimised to make the most of every available square metre. The living rooms face the river, while the service areas back onto the urban plot. Technically, the structure on stilts involves the use of reinforced concrete, the material of choice in French modernist architecture of the 1950s. This choice of construction allows for the overhangs characteristic of the style and the robustness required to cope with the site's hydraulic constraints. The result is an architectural object that is both sober and assertive, whose geometric rigour contrasts subtly with the natural undulations of the Périgord river landscape.
Related Figures
Georges Lacaze — architecte co-concepteur de la maison (1956-1959)René Fray — architecte co-concepteur, associé à Lacaze pour ce projetLe Corbusier — figure tutélaire dont les théories sur les pilotis ont directement inspiré le parti architectural
Tags
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maison Pic located?
Maison Pic is located in Bergerac, Dordogne department, Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, France.
When was Maison Pic built?
Maison Pic dates back to a period built in the modern era (19th-20th century).
Is Maison Pic open to visitors?
Maison Pic is currently closed to visitors.