The year 2026 will mark a double anniversary for the Le Corbusier Site in Firminy. It will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Maison de la Culture's inscription as a UNESCO World Heritage site on July 17, 2016, as well as the 20th anniversary of the Saint-Pierre church, inscribed on November 29, 2006.
To mark these events, the public is invited to an architectural and sensory odyssey. Light will play a central role, transforming into material, guide, and revealer of space. The 2026 season's exhibitions will offer a multi-stage journey, blending contemplative observation with immersive experiences to refine the perception of architectural space.
The first stage will be dedicated to Lucien Hervé, a photographer who collaborated with Le Corbusier. His black and white photographs will highlight the poetry of modern architecture's forms and volumes, demonstrating how light sculpts space and animates concrete. Each photograph will serve as a marker, inviting visitors to feel architecture in its spatial and emotional dimensions.
The second stage, titled SOLAIRE, a sensitive odyssey, is presented by Döppel Studio. Eight installations will transform the church into a space of light and shadow, exploring solar cycles and reflections. This immersive experience will engage the senses and the perception of architectural space.
By combining Lucien Hervé's perspective with Döppel Studio's experience, the Le Corbusier Site will become an experimental laboratory. It will offer a poetic and profound reading of heritage, where architecture, perception, and emotion converge.
The exhibitions will run as follows: The Odyssey of the Gaze, Le Corbusier and Lucien Hervé from February 6 to June 7, 2026, and SOLAIRE, a sensitive odyssey from July 3, 2026, to January 17, 2027. Further information and the full program will be available soon.
