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Résidence Du Point Du Jour - Paris
Rue du Dome, Avenue Pierre Grenier, Rue Danjou, Boulevard Jean Jaurès
1957 - 1963
The ensemble "Point du Jour", designed by Fernand Pouillon is a vast residential development with 2260 apartments, amenities and shops. Located near the bank of
the river Seine, the numerous apartments and the commercial units are spread over more than twenty-five buildings. The constructions are of different heights,
varying from one to fifteen floors. Because the street facades are arranged so that one takes only little notice of them, especially along the Pierre-Grenier Avenue,
it is difficult to find this urban jewel. One facade of the complex was covered in gold leaf, until the gold was replaced by gilded aluminum in a recent restoration.
In his "Mémoires d'un architecte" from 1968 Fernand Pouillon tells how the realized ensemble "Point du Jour" comes close to his imagined ideal, where
magical gardens are reserved for pedestrians while cars comfortably promenade at the foot of the buildings. Yet the achievement of this residential
development goes far beyond of this brief description. As in all of his Parisian ensembles, Fernand Pouillon uses the artifice of optical illusions to make
the large ensemble with its important density visually assumable. According to the attitude of Fernand Pouillon, the eye needs a scale, and it uses
the one which is available and if possible, the better one. The great heights are made of solid stone and glass which reflects the sky,
creating countless cells similar to hives, having an incalculable height, except one takes the time to think about it really. These fronts are structured
by pronounced horizontal lines which are part of the design concept. A very nice scale emanates from the two-storey stone portico, which is topped
by one, three or six levels. The stories above the portico are arranged in a manner, that they visually decrease. This is the scale which will be remembred
and used to calculate everything else. From this emphasis of the building volumes emerges the impression of beauty, tranquility and balance.