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Y tal y como prometí el viernes…..
Esta es la casa para la que se diseñó la bucata Transat de Eileen Grey, su propia casa de verano en Francia, una obra poco conocida pero espectacular.
A finales de los años 20, la arquitecta y diseñadora Eileen Grey, colaboradora de Le Corbusier y de estética modernista, diseñó y construyó esta casa de veraneo en el Mediterraneo, en Roquebrune- Cap- Martin. La casa se construyó para ella y su amante, el crítico Jean Badovici.
El nombre de la casa que suena tan raro, es el código numérico que sale de unir las iniciales de sus nombres. Aquí debajo tenéis a Le Corbusier, Grey y Badovici en plenas vacaciones, posando delante de uno de los murales que pintó el primero en la casa. Estos murales no le gustaron nada a Grey, y calificó a su socio de vándalo, ya que aprovecho que ella estaba de viaje para hacerlos. ella consideraba la casa como una forma limpia, sin aderezos, sólo los muebles que diseñó especialmente para ella.
 
La casa tenía una concepción muy moderna respecto a los elementos naturales, ya que tomaba en cuenta la dirección del sol y del viento, para generar el mayor confort interior posible. Las vistas al estar sobre un acantilado eran impresionantes, y la vegetación circundante hacía de parapeto de miradas indiscretas, aparte de aportar sombra al edificio.
  
Esta si que es una casa de verano y no las de Ibiza! o mejor dicho, hay que ver lo mucho que le debemos a estas casas y lo poco que nos fijamos a veces en ellas a la hora de hacer algo bonito…
  
Existe una asociación de Friends of E.1027, que cuidan de su legado y que han restaurado la casa, que había quedado cerca de la ruina hasta hace muy poco.
E.1027 was built by Gray between 1926 and 1929 as a summer vacation residence for Badovici. The name of the house was a code for their intertwined initials: E for Eileen, 10 for J, the10th letter of the alphabet, and, following this logic, 2 for B, and 7 for G. Though the house was in one sense a collaborative effort, in reality Gray was entirely responsible for its design and for overseeing its construction. Badovici mainly assisted in technical matters when needed. Gray built the house on an isolated stretch of the French Riviera, on the western side of Cap Martin overlooking the Bay of Monaco. She chose this sight for the beauty of its view and built the house directly into the terrain. Wishing to build a house that interacted with the natural elements surrounding it, she carefully studied the wind and the angles of the sun at different times of the day and year and in this way was able to build a structure with a constant, evolving relationship with the sun, the wind, and the sea. Gray designed the house so that inside and outside flowed together. Not only does every room give out onto a balcony, but the shutters, screens, and windows are all movable, allowing the inhabitant to harmoniously engage with the sea and the hills surrounding the villa. The house was designed as a “maison minimum” – simple and efficient, with areas of built-in furniture and no wasted space. The main level of the house consists of a large open living room, a study/bedroom, a kitchen, and a bath. The lower level consists of a large covered sitting area, a guest bedroom, maid’s quarters, and a WC. On the roof she built a garden which included an outdoor kitchen connected to the interior kitchen, and a small area for sunbathing. While E.1027 was a modern movement house and employed many of the key tenets of the movement’s chief architect, Le Corbusier, Gray took issue with Le Corbusier who famously felt that “the house is a machine to live in.” Rather, she described the house as a living organism, an extension of the human experience, stating that “it is not a matter of simply constructing beautiful ensembles of lines, but above all, dwellings for people.” “Formulas are nothing,” she insisted, “Life is everything.” Gray created a villa with an open and flexible design which allowed the user to experience the space of living as an organic whole comprising the self, the house, and the outside environment. At the same time her designs allowed the user to maintain a feeling of intimacy and privacy, both of which she herself valued enormously. With E.1027 Gray made a singular and fundamental contribution towards modern architecture.
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