L'immeuble du Barry, un exemple du Patrimoine du XXème siècle

The municipality's desire not to build a ""divide"" in the village initially led to the idea of a development made up of small detached houses. But this proposal was quickly replaced by a new project, the result of a collaboration between the architect of the Bâtiments de France, the DDE (Direction Départementale de l'Equipement), the developer and an architect from Gapen.

The project was organised as an “transplant”, adopting the solution of terraced houses that extend the village. The dwellings have a single storey and attic space under steeply pitched larch shingle roofs, most of which are rendered and sometimes decorated with stone facing. The wooden shutters and dormer windows and exposed beams and railings, add a warm, traditional touch.
The group of houses is curved in shape shape, parallel to contour lines. The houses are aligned on the village side, but on the valley side the interplay of heights and setbacks provides interest.

The first group of buildings has been completed. In a second phase, another complex is planned for the lower section. This unpretentious project is typical of the urban planning and architectural research carried out in the 70s and 80s to improve the quality of village extensions. Set against a monumental backdrop at the foot of the church of Saint-Crépin (listed as a historic monument), and fully visible from the side of the main road as you climb up the Durance valley, it is a natural extension of the village.

The twentieth century heritage label was launched by the Ministry of Culture and Communication in 1999. Its purpose is to identify public buildings and urban complexes and bring them to the attention of the public, whether or not they are protected as Historic Monuments or protected areas, and where their architectural and urban interest justifies them being bequeathed to future generations as fully-fledged elements of twentieth century heritage: These are the major buildings and urban complexes of the 20th century built between 1900 and 1975, regardless of the programme (engineering structures, housing, public buildings, factories, tourist facilities, etc.). This heritage is highly visible. So the Ministry of Culture and Communication has created this label to highlight and safeguard the buildings and urban complexes that, among the achievements of this century, bear material witness to the architectural, technical, economic, social, political and cultural evolution of our society.

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