Page 5 - AIT0420_VilleBenkemoun

SERIEN IKONEN BEWOHNEN • LIVING IN ICONS

Auf der Südseite öffnet sich die Villa Benkemoun zum Garten hin mit zahlreichen kleineren und größeren Fensterflächen • Villa Benkemoun opens up to the garden with numerous small and large windows.

two-storey fireplace clad with sheet metal, which was designed by the French-Alge- Im Zentrum des Gebäudes befindet sich ein kleiner Innenhof • Inner courtyard at the centre of the building
rian artist Max Sauze. An absolutely unique specimen! This perfectly describes the
entire design and structure of Villa Benkemoun! The building, which captivates
above all by its peculiarities and special features, can be described as a manifesto
for its time. When construction of the building began in 1972—just before the first oil
crisis—France experienced the so-called Trente Glorieuses, thirty years of economic
boom that had started not too long after the end of the Second World War. A time of
optimism when—as the writer and journalist Brigitte Benkemoun, the daughter of the
builder-owners, describes it—"everything seemed possible". It is therefore no sur-
prise that a building such as Villa Benkemoun, with its daring floor plan, futuristi-
cally coloured furnishings and inviting, extravagant shapes, could be built at preci-
sely this time.

Award-winning and newly renovated

This consideration probably also played a role when the French Ministry of Culture
awarded the building the prestigious distinction "20th-century cultural heritage" in
2015. Since the building had meanwhile reached a certain age, Brigitte Benkemoun,
together with her husband Thierry Demaizière, decided to renovate the villa in order
to restore this legacy of the 1970s to its former glory, and to subsequently make it
available to a wider, architecture-loving public. The furniture has been renovated
and some pieces have been added, yet without compromising the spirit and charm
of the original furnishings. It is precisely its proximity to the town centre of Arles that
makes the newly renovated building a popular venue for cultural events and exhibi-
tions created by artists of all disciplines. And that's not all—with the help of urlaubs-
architektur.de, an Internet portal offering holiday homes with outstanding architec-
tural quality, architecture enthusiasts can now also rent Villa Benkemoun—including
its swimming pool and the villa’s extensive grounds—for a longer period of stay. The
building, which provides a total of five bedrooms, is particularly suitable for slightly
larger groups. In addition to the house, which carries everyone back to a bygone
time due to its architecture, materials, colours and patterns, Arles is also always
worth a visit thanks to numerous interesting antique relics and exciting current buil-
ding projects—including a spectacular tower designed by Frank O. Gehry.

044 • AIT 4.2020