Residential complex Dawn

After World War II, the bombed European metropolises represented a great opportunity for architects to address the urban ills of cities, which on one hand attracted an influx of new labor from the countryside, but at the same time failed to offer residents an adequate living environment. This challenge was taken up by the enterprising architect Fernand Pouillon, who had previously worked on major urban projects in Algeria and southern France. In order to secure contracts from the city of Paris, he founded the construction company CNL (Comptoir national du Logement), which under his leadership not only designed but also quickly and economically built structures. The company initially constructed several smaller apartment complexes in Pantin and Montrouge, thereby gaining trust and in 1957 received a contract for the residential complex Point-du-Jour in Boulogne-Billancourt on the southeastern outskirts of Paris. The site of the former Salmson factory offers 2,260 apartments and an underground parking garage for 2,000 cars on an area of eight hectares (the original project planned for 4,500 apartments on an area of 25 hectares). Although it was meant to be social housing, Pouillon managed to achieve a housing estate with unique spatial qualities without material compromises through construction rationalization and compact layouts.
The residential complex consists of a total of 25 buildings: (two twenty-one-story tower blocks, four seventeen-story buildings, five thirteen-story buildings, and a number of smaller apartment buildings). In addition to his architectural role, Pouillon also acted as a building contractor and real estate agent for this and several similar projects, which was illegal at the time. Following a tip-off from competitors, Pouillon's construction company was investigated by the prosecutor in 1961. Pouillon was given a four-year prison sentence, but escaped a year later, only to defend himself again in French court in 1963, where he was acquitted of the original charges but convicted for escape. During his time in prison, Pouillon wrote an impressive historical novel Divoké kameny.
The completion of the Point-du-Jour residential complex was taken care of by the experienced architect Jacques Henri-Labourdette, who built 65,000 apartments during his professional career (Pouillon built "only" 50,000).
After his release in 1964, Pouillon sought refuge in voluntary exile in Algeria for two decades and only returned to France at the end of his life, which he spent restoring the medieval Château de Belcaste.
In 2008, the Point-du-Jour residential complex was included in the list of 20th-century architectural heritage.