Le Havre, the City Rebuilt by Auguste Perret
The city of Le Havre, on the English Channel in
Normandy, was severely bombed during the Second World War. The destroyed
area was rebuilt according to the plan of a team headed by Auguste
Perret, from 1945 to 1964. The site forms the administrative, commercial
and cultural centre of Le Havre. Le Havre is exceptional among many
reconstructed cities for its unity and integrity. It combines a
reflection of the earlier pattern of the town and its extant historic
structures with the new ideas of town planning and construction
technology. It is an outstanding post-war example of urban planning and
architecture based on the unity of methodology and the use of
prefabrication, the systematic utilization of a modular grid, and the
innovative exploitation of the potential of concrete.