Come on Kids, lets explore …. Prefabricated concrete structural classicism!!

Le Havre for a rainy weekend in February probably doesn’t scream “Family Holiday” but this was perhaps our most successful attempt to combine World Heritage Sites with something a 4 year old will enjoy.

There were multiple reasons why this was enjoyable, but at the heart of all of them was how successful this rebuilding project was in creating a livable city. There is a bit of an academic pursuit in pointing out how every block of concrete pillars along ave. de Paris has a different shape or capital, but amazingly this is something that a six year old can latch onto and point out. I doubt Auguste Perret set out to create a city sized “spot the difference” puzzle but that is what we got from it. 

And from what I understand that is sort of the point of what M. Perret set out to do. Creating units that could be easily reproduced and created from standard units, but also which aren’t monotonous. It draws from the ideas of Haussman in Paris that different heights and levels can break up buildings and make them feel more human. I’m sure my kids weren’t reacting to that on an intellectual level, but they didn’t find the km’s of reinforced concrete porticos in any way off putting, and seeing them running around exploring suggested this urban experiment worked well.

However the highlight for my daughters wasn’t Perret’s grid, but the part of the city that is somewhat its antithesis, le Volcan designed by Oscar Neimeyer. A whole evening was spent running up ramps, clambering up the building’s sloping sides or trying out every modernist chair in the library. Even the lure of buying an ice cream wasn’t enough of a pull to get the two of them away from the béton brut slopes.

The interior of St Joseph's church also kept them entertained for a long period of time, something that delighted me and their Mum as it allowed us to spend a huge amount of time in such a unique and beguiling interior. And we didn't even get time to try the partially covered playground infront of the monumental Hotel de Ville.

Outside of the core zone Le Havre also has another ace up its sleeve, Les Bains des Docks. For the second time in 20 years I am going to flag up a municipal swimming pool, but this one is a little bit special, designed by Pritzker Prize winning architect Jean Nouvel.

It is the most beautiful, most fun and most joyous swimming pool I have ever been to, and even if you don’t have kids in tow I would suggest that it is an essential diversion in Le Havre (provided you can swim). But with kids it is thoroughly enjoyable, it even managed to convert our youngest who until the moment we arrived had screamed down every paddling pool we had attempted to visit. (I will say the exterior of the building is dreadful, but the actual functional aspect of the pools is incredible). All of this for a mere €5 for adults and €2 for children in 2024, I can't remember a better value architectural adventure.

So much to my surprise Le Havre, the City Rebuilt by Auguste Perret ended up being a brilliant location for a family holiday during a rainy February. But beyond just entertaining kids, it really helped me understand the value and quality of this site.