(1100-1526)

During the early Middle Ages, the people of Paris poached entire sections of the sturdier Roman walls to use for their own buildings. You can still find roman stones in the cellars of the medieval half-timbered buildings found mostly in the 4th arrondissement but also in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6^th.

Interiors have low pier and beam ceilings, walls are half-timber or exposed stone, and the layout tends to have small and irregular sized rooms. These Pain de Bois buildings are structured around a staircase with a wooden or stone load-bearing axis at the center and a cellar of vaulted caves, both of which make installing an elevator in these buildings almost impossible.

Religious buildings also survive, beginning with the Romanesque style (round arched windows) and then evolving into Gothic style (pointed arches, cross vaults and flying buttresses). 

While Louis XIV (1643-1715) was exploring the Baroque style, ordinary Parisians of this era saw the development of the humble immeuble de rapport: rental apartment buildings for the middle class which continued in popularity for several hundred years. Found in the 3^rd, 4^th, 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th arrondissements, the facades are simple cut stone with interior walls made of “Paris stone” (plastered), and a brick fireplace. The floors are oak parquet with parallel slats; the ceilings are medium or low in height. Shorter, less expensive wood beams were used, so rooms were rectangular and small. Most apartments were studios or one bedroom but over the years many have been combined to create larger apartments. The stairwell in this type of building is small but elevators are generally possible.

Through the Seventies

These years are often seen as a disaster for French architecture. Some terrible mistakes were made, in particular the destruction of Les Halles in central Paris. Building styles from the 1950’s had to meet a large demand for new housing quickly and affordably as almost no new housing in Paris had been created during the previous 20 years. To meet the demand over 2500 buildings were constructed during the decade but Paris did not have a coherent building plan in place so developers were left to their own whims as to the height and size of their buildings with little concern for the surrounding architecture. Developers often prioritised profit over architectural beauty but they provided the Parisian population with well-equipped, low-rent housing. At the same time this was the period of Le Corbusier and his influence can be seen in the luxury buildings of the period which often have large balconies, modern layouts, and lots of light. The majority of buildings from this period have a brick, stone or concrete façade, elevators, low ceilings, carpeting, and small rooms.