Built between 1957 and 1963, the Point-du-Jour residence was awarded the “20th century heritage” label in 2008. This complex of 2,260 dwellings, emblematic of the work of Fernand Pouillon, testifies to his search for harmony between a monumental building and enchanting green spaces. The architect wanted to allow the middle classes to live in accessible housing without restricting benefits.

The uniqueness of Pouillon’s work lies in the commitment that guides his projects, the bias towards stone at the expense of concrete, the development of a particular constructive system and an alternative operating method. In addition to the strategies implemented to make housing more accessible and significantly reduce construction costs, Pouillon is developing a high-quality building system consisting of a network of posts close enough together to avoid the use of beams, thus making the housing plans flexible and scalable.

Originally eccentric and landlocked, this former industrial district is now well served by transport and benefits from nearby school and sports facilities, such as those of the Île-Saint-Germain park. It benefits from a central location that is reinforced by the Grand Paris Express project, an automatic metro of the Grand Paris, which will further energize the whole.

The architect and urban planner Fernand Pouillon is one of the great builders of the years of reconstruction that followed the Second World War in France. He built many housing units, facilities and public buildings in Marseille (reconstruction of the Old Port, 1947-1953), in Aix-en-Provence, in the Paris region (residence of the Meudon-la-Forêt park, 1957), in Algeria as well as in Iran. His creations are characterized by a harmonious insertion in the site, rigorous proportions, noble materials and the collaboration of sculptors, ceramists and landscape artists.

He very early confronted the profession of architect since he enrolled in the School of Fine Arts of Marseille when he was only 15 years old. After graduating in 1942, Fernand Pouillon delivered his first building in Aix-en-Provence in 1934, at only 22 years old. His projects are driven by his commitment to solving the immense problem of housing. He stands out from his colleagues by his ambition, philosophy and youth. To the qualities of concrete, he prefers those of stone, steel, wood, glass or ceramics and to the preeminence of modern lines he prefers the quality of life, the culture, the customs of the users and the aesthetics of the aging of his constructions.