Flaine Exterior Design

summer

Winter

Flaine has a clean, modern feel thanks to the harmonious design applied to all the resort's buildings.

From the lampposts to the lifts and lift towers, Marcel Breuer left nothing to chance when creating Flaine. The lighting in the covered street near the forum was designe...

From the lampposts to the lifts and lift towers, Marcel Breuer left nothing to chance when creating Flaine.

The lighting in the covered street near the forum was designed by Davos Hanich between 1970 and 1971, and brings a diffuse light and design to the space.

The ceilings, mainly made of prefabricated box elements, are devoid of any decoration. The architect wanted simple, sober lines with no artifice to create harmony with the facades of the buildings and the architectural style of the station.

The lampposts, glass globes mounted on a metal shaft, provide a soft but powerful light that enlivens and reveals the diamond-shaped faces of the concrete formwork of Flaine’s buildings.

Flaine is divided into several districts: Flaine Forum, Flaine Forêt, Flaine Front de Neige for historic Flaine; Le Hameau de Flaine and Flaine Montsoleil for the “extensions”. The names of the buildings are inspired by cosmic constellations or the names of the surrounding mountains. The signs indicating the names of the buildings, as well as the shop fronts, use the CASSANDRE font, emblematic of the resort’s harmonious visual identity.

Flaine was one of the first resorts to install lifts to link the different districts. The lifts (1 and 2), designed by the Marcel Breuer studio in New York, are recognisable by their orange cabins. They add a lively, colourful touch to the more rigorous architectural complex.

The first building to be seen on arriving in Flaine is the boiler room, designed by Laurent Chappis in 1968. It is reminiscent of Breuer’s functionalist approach to magnifying industrial products. The building, originally glazed to allow passers-by to observe the boilers, had to be renovated and the glass replaced by a closed wall for safety reasons.

The bottom station of the Grandes Platières cable car was one of the first to be built at ground level. It was a technological advance to move the machinery, which was originally located under the station. Skiers no longer had to climb stairs to board the cable car.

The architectural influence extends as far as the lift tower, which is painted white and has an original structure that resembles a sculpture.

Classification

Historic patrimony
Town / Village
Historic district

listed
Modern

Equipments

Auditorium
Covered picnic area
Public WC
Exhibition space

Services

Accessible en poussette

Opening

All year round, daily.

Welcoming people with disabilities

Accessible for self-propelled wheelchairs

Lift No. 1 gives you access to the Flaine Forum and Flaine Forêt floors. Part of the station is then wheelchair-accessible thanks to a tarmac surface. However, not all the works are accessible to people with reduced mobility.

Pets welcome

Pets : Accepted.

On a leash only.

Further information

Home :

The Flaine Art Centre organises a free guided tour of the resort every Tuesday at 2pm (in winter and summer) (registration required).

Follow the director of the Art Centre through the twists and turns of Flaine, in pursuit of the history of Flaine and its little stories too...

Booking :

For the free guided tour: please book with the Centre d'Art de Flaine before 11.30am on Tuesday.

Rates

Free access.

How to find us

Park in the P1, P2 or P3 outdoor car parks and explore the resort on foot. Keep your eyes peeled for every detail designed by Marcel Breuer between the floors of Flaine Front de Neige, Flaine Forum and Flaine Forêt.