The documentary film Le Havre d’Auguste Perret: the concrete city is dedicated to the city of Le Havre, located in the French region of Normandy. The title of the film translates to Le Havre by Auguste Perret: The Concrete City. It is dedicated not only to the city but also to Auguste Perret—the architect who oversaw its postwar reconstruction, a process that lasted nearly twenty years.

As is well known, during World War II, the city was subjected to devastating bombings, resulting in its center being wiped off the face of the earth. After the fighting ended, reconstruction began. This was undertaken by a team led by architect Auguste Perret. The process was complex and lengthy. Auguste Perret, the protagonist of the film Le Havre d’Auguste Perret: the concrete city, did not live to see the final stages of the work, but all his ideas were realized. Le Havre can rightly be called the master’s swan song.

Le Havre is not just a city, but a commercial and cultural hub. Its reconstruction began immediately after the war and was completed in 1964. It is not the only city that had to be rebuilt after World War II. However, Le Havre’s structure is distinguished by its unity and integrity. It preserves an earlier model, with historic buildings, and is in harmony with new urban planning concepts. A unified methodology served as the basis for Le Havre’s reconstruction. Prefabricated structures and modular grids were directly incorporated into the construction work.

Auguste Perret died in 1954. His projects were completed in 1964, and in 2005, Le Havre was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as an outstanding example of post-war urban reconstruction.

Watch the film Le Havre d’Auguste Perret: the concrete city online on MEGOGO.