Architect: ‌ Gerard Grandval
Built in 1974

Location: Creteil, Paris
Building Address: 2 Bd Pablo Picasso, 94000 Creteil

"Cabbages" decorate the balcony

Recently, you may come across this project from time to time, and there are design descriptions, of course, more property recommendations. Just from the design, it is still a good project, a bit of a combination of the fourth generation forest house and curve shape.

There is a message on the Internet that this is the design of the horse, but this is not like the style of the horse, but a little bit of the taste of the hot spot. A horse man wouldn't have "copied" it so obviously.

The balconies were first created in 1974 in Creteil, near Paris, by architect Gerard Grandval, with 10 identical residential buildings with balconies that bloom like flower petals. Known as "Les Choux de Creteil", literally translated as "Cabbage of Creteil", the buildings are cylindrical and function as student apartments. In addition to being used as balconies, these exaggerated balconies are also used to decorate the entire facade of the building.

Forty years later, Heatherwick studio, a talented designer from London, UK, first designed a world-class public park and performance venue on the Hudson River Park on the west side of Manhattan in New York City. "Pier55" has a similar approach to Les Choux de Creteil. It will be completed in 2021. The firm continues to apply the same approach to its "1000 Trees" project in Shanghai, also due to be completed in 2021. But instead of balconies, these funnel-shaped tops are planting ponds.

Les Choux de Creteil, also known as The Cabbages of Creteii, is a residential development in the suburbs of Paris. The building is a group of cylindrical residential buildings, consisting of ten cylindrical towers, each 15 stories high and decorated with petal-shaped balconies, named "Choux" (cabbage) because of its special balcony shape, and vegetables grown by Parisian families have been grown in this neighborhood for more than a century. This may have inspired the architects to create expressive balconies - hence the name, which evokes images of vegetables.

Les Choux was built in 1974 and designed by Gerard Grandval. He originally envisioned plants and vines covering the balcony railing, which would create a very different visual effect; But with or without plants, the large balcony offers plenty of private outdoor space for its occupants. The unique shape of this group of buildings is designed to bring the living Spaces of the apartments closer to the Windows, so that the balconies provide both outdoor access and privacy in the area where the tower was built historically was an old cabbage patch - no doubt a source of inspiration for Granval's design.

Inspired by natural and organic forms, this original architectural creation offers an extraordinary urban setting. Les Choux de Creteil stands out with its harmonious curves and colorful facades, bringing a touch of poetry to the city. They became symbols of creativity and boldness in architecture.

The project was launched in 1966 and the area was historically used for the production of vegetables for Parisian tables. The design may reflect this period of agricultural history. In 1998, the city government decided to upgrade the area, redeveloping the Central Sprout District and allocating part of the apartments to students to encourage social integration. Overall, Les Choux de Creteil is considered a symbol of French architecture in the 1970s.