First, some context: Arbon is a historic town on the southern shore of Lake Constance, located between Constance and Bregenz. During the 20th century, the town became synonymous with Saurer, a world-leading manufacturer of trucks, buses, military vehicles and textile machinery. The company reached its peak during the postwar boom years, employing over 5,000 people. Faced with a rapid influx of workers, Arbon was bursting at the seams, and in desperate need of new and affordable housing.

Albert Dubois, Saurer’s managing director at the time, came up with a brilliant solution. He commissioned his architect brother to design a striking building to house 200 ‘Saurer families’. His motives were not entirely altruistic, though. The ‘Saurer Tower’ would cement the company’s status as a socially responsible employer, but also serve as excellent PR, positioning Saurer as a forward-looking global player. Georges-Pierre was the perfect man for the job, having worked in Le Corbusier’s studio between 1937 and 1940. He seized the opportunity to build his own version of the Unité d’habitation in Marseille – Corbusier’s brutalist masterpiece from 1952, which rewrote the rules of housing estate architecture.