Megève 1925-1950: Architecture of Henry Jacques Le Même

Considered one of the inventors of modern Alpine architecture, Henry Jacques Le Même (1897-1997) settled in Megève in 1925, after two years spent in the Parisian workshop of Jacques-Émile Ruhlmann. His first chalet, for Baroness Noémie de Rothschild, set the tone for a new aesthetic which combines Savoyard tradition and modern comfort. Sheltered under large roofs, his chalets capture the light. Their simplicity is emphasized by touches of bright colors on the shutters, windows and doors, and the ends of the wooden beams. Inside, the spacious living rooms open onto the valley and are extended by enveloping balconies. For his house, built in 1920-1930, Henry Jacques Le Même broke his rules with a flat roof and red ocher facades. This construction, which highlights a creative tension born from the desire to innovate in the face of the immutable power of the mountain, will paradoxically be perceived less as a manifesto of modernity than as an exotic note in the forest of chalets.

23 x 28.5 cm

240 pages

464 black and white and color illustrations

ISBN: 978-2-9092-8345-6

Text in French only