Retro Modernism

Some fantastic photographs by Laurent Kronental have been doing the rounds recently. His studies of now-fading visions attempts to create utopian mass housing in the suburbs of Paris are absolutely fantastic, particularly so when these still surprising structures are thrown into sharp contrast by the typical decor and style of the actual residents inhabiting them.

It's all too easy for aspiring architects to think of the one-off - spectacular money-no-object (/vanity projects?) by superstar architects such as Gehry or Norman Foster - but they often forget to consider mass housing problems and the range of solutions that have been proffered.

More here, and of course on his own site (above). The portfolio on his site includes more portraits of the local residents.