LE CORBUSIER

S6 B Arch

Aarati Binayak

an architect, urbanist, painter, sculptor, writer and a

furniture designer

Born Swiss, Charles-douard Jeanneret was

encouraged by a teacher to take up architecture.

In 1908, worked as a draughtsman for Auguste

Pierret (French pioneer of concrete and reinforced
steel) in Paris

worked with Peter Behrens in Berlin

he developed Purism, a new concept of painting with

the artist, Amedee Ozenfant, in Paris

In 1920, he adopted the pseudonym, Le Corbusier

Le Corbusier collaborated with the architect Charlotte

Perriand and his cousin Pierre Jeanneret to
design iconic, modernist furniture. He was quoted as
saying: Chairs are architecture, sofas are bourgeois.

Le Corbusier (1887-1965)
formed a quarter of Modern
giants -Mies van der Rohe,
Frank Lloyd Wright, Walter
Gropius and himself- pioneers
of modern architecture

Early career

worked on theoretical architectural studies using

modern techniques

The Domino House became the foundation for

most of his architecture for the next 10years

established a new artistic movement, Purism

In 1922, Le Corbusier formed an architectural

partnership with his cousin Pierre Jeanneret

1923- Publishes Vers une Architecture

Domino House
This model proposed
an open floor plan consisting of concrete slabs
a minimal number of thin, reinforced concrete
columns around the edges
a stairway providing access to each level on
one side of the floor plan

Five points towards a Modern Architecture

Golden Ratio & The Modulor

He was preoccupied with the manner in which the body would respond to art and
architecture
Le Corbusiers design philosophy was heavily inspired by mathematical concepts used
by Leonardo daVinci, such as the golden ratio (in the modulor) and the Fibonacci
series, which he used as the basis for his architectural proportions.
Le Corbusier's 1927 Villa Stein in Garches exemplified the Modulor system's
application. The villa's rectangular ground plan, elevation, and inner structure closely
approximate golden rectangles

Famous works

Villa Savoye

Chapel of Notre Dame D

U Haut, Ronchamp

Unite de habitation

Convent of La Tourette

Villa stein, Garches

Villa Roche

Chapel of Notre Dame D U Haut,

Ronchamp

The roof shell rests on hidden RCC columns

with a horizontal crack of light 10 cm
wide between the wall and the roof

The protagonist of the interior is, without

doubt, the light

the church is rather dark, as some Gothic

churches are, emphasizing the drama of
light and accenting the sacredness of the
space

Urban planning

Le Corbusiers first solo projects were theoretical urban plans

for the design of modern cities.

Ville Contemporaine (Contemporary City) - 1922

for 3 million inhabitants

proposed a cluster of 60-storey apartment buildings centered

around a transportation hub for trains, buses and even airplanes

buildings were surrounded by green space, but at street level,

the priority was always given to cars, with separate paths for
pedestrians.

The apartments within were identical housing units, stacked

atop one another up to the roof, made to serve the needs of all
men

Radiant city 1930s- La Ville Radieus

Marais, PARIS- For decades, he tried to get Paris to raze the Marais neighborhood and build
one of his city plans

Critics argue that Le Corbusiers vision for urban life was destructive to the city, alienating
people from one another, & elevating the car over the human.

Standardization & mass production

Le Corbusiers main ideas, which he outlined in Vers Une Architecture

(Towards a new Architecture), were about standards and perfection.

all men have the same needs and house is a machine for living.

He wanted to set standards for contemporary architecture, to find

universal elements that could be combined to create structures for the
use of all people.

Le Corbusier was so enthusiastic about standardization the he wanted to

use a standard palette of materials to create his new architecture

For Corbusier, mass production was a highly spiritual matter. It was also
about creating commonality between people and things.

Central to the idea of community was the concept of Radiant City

Housing units

Bibliography

Flora Samuel, Le corbusier in Detail

Geoffrey Baker , Le Corbusier. Analysis of Form.
www.fondationlecorbusier.fr
www.moma.org
www.archdaily.com
www.architecturalmoleskine.blogspot.in