Phalanstere, Paris France;(1832); Classical
A phalanstere was a design created in the nineteenth century by
Charles Fourier, through the inspiration he found from the palace of Versilles.
In eighteen thirty-two the newspaper, Fourierist, proposed the launch of a
fundraiser to create La Phalange. He envisioned
the structure as a U-shaped building with wings on either side of the large
structure. This was meant to become a self-contained utopian building that
would house 500-2000 people who would work together and benefit each other
perfectly. Fourier
was a French socialist who wanted to develop an architectural system based off
of principles of sexual liberation, co-operative organization, women’s
liberation, and human interaction. He was not a fan of industrialization or the
free market at the time, since he believed they led to the destruction of the
modern world through the oppression of its people. He believed that in his
society everyone would work equally for their share and earn their keep,
creating a true democracy.
The word phalanstere was a combination of the word phalange and
the word monastery; which translates to a basic military unit (usually used in
ancient Greece) and a complex structure of buildings. Fourier wanted the phalanstere to be an
organized set of buildings designed to inhabit urban and rural conditions into
one living space. The spaces had a center, and two wings (the center involved
quiet activities such as studies and work spaces, while the wings involved loud
activities such as carpentry and kids playing.) The center had dining rooms,
meeting rooms, libraries and studies, and the lateral rooms had carpentry,
hammering, forging, and playing children (because they were considered loud
when playing). The other wing created a caravansary, with ballrooms and
halls for meetings with outsiders who had to pay a fee in order to visit and
meet the people since every community was separated between buildings (The
social halls were called serestry). The income was sustained by the society
through autonomous production rather than industries, and the people could
choose what they wanted to do, but they would have to change weekly in order
for their jobs to be less monotonous.
The main industry would be the focus which Fourier believed
would be agriculture. Fourier believed himself a forward thinker for equality
since he saw the modern house as a place of oppression for women, and believed
he was the only one thinking of helping women in a realistic fashion. He
continuously mentioned that the traditional house was a place of exile and
oppression of women, and that his creation would create sexual freedom.
In eighteen thirty-two He put his idea into action and created
what was called Conde-sur Vesgre, which was forty-six miles west of Paris. He claimed that this was a social palace, and
many people flocked to see what had been built. After just 2 years the society
he created failed due to its lack of capitol and the lack of experience the
members had in many of the fields. The society was then recreated in
remembrance of Fourier’s birthday on April twenty-fourth, eighteen forty-eight.
The Conde sur Vesgre still continues today, practicing the ideas of Fourier. Another
person read Fourier’s works in the paper and created his own piece of
architecture off of the ideas implemented by Fourier. Jean-Baptiste Godin offered
the Familistère to France during the second empire. It offered three hundred apartments
and continues to serve over seven hundred people. At the time of creation,
Godin insisted on leaving Fourier’s vision of “free love” and creating the
building to specifically house families. The reason this was appealing at the
time it was opened was because unlike other housing during the industrial
revolution this offered comfortable living and accessible work, that in these
conditions felt almost luxurious. His building was created with plans that also
listed instructions for the people living in the building. It was three
buildings connected through passages. In the center of the buildings were large
courtyards covered by glass roofs. The buildings were each staggered so that
more could be added as it expanded throughout the years. The facades were made
from brick, meticulously laying out forms that reflected each of the buildings
functions using patterns. During the day Godin claimed that these blocks would
be equivalent to a large factory being compared to a small one. They all had their
own personal services, yet they were basically inaccessible since they weren’t completely
thought through. Each block contained housing that was later looked down on and
ended up becoming cheap blocks. In the central courtyard there was a “village
square” which housed shops, a library, a café, and public baths; this created a
space that would have all necessities available within, and sometimes could
involve live events and ceremonies.
He was labeled as a
pioneer for town planning. Many architects have continued to try and replicate
this style of community, yet success is still waiting to be seen.
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Work Cited
Fons, Paqui Pérez. “Charles
Fourier´s Phalanstère.” 2010-2012 SCHOOL YEARS, 1 Jan. 1970,
todayinsocialsciences.blogspot.com/2012/01/charles-fouriers-phalanstere.html.
“180Spatial Agency.” Spatial
Agency: Fourierist Communities,
Beecher, Jonathan. Charles Fourier: the Visionary and His World. University of California Press, 1987.
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