Le Corbusier
AUK College of Art & Sciences/ID IND311 Interior Design History II Asst. Prof. Siniša Prvanov Spring 2019
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Contents:
Introduction 1. Villa Savoye (1928–1931) 2. World War II and Reconstruction; Unité d'Habitation in Marseille (1939–1952) 3. Villa Shodhan (1951-1956) 4. Le Corbusier and an Analysis of Form 5. Furniture Design
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INTRODUCTION
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (1887-1965), known as Le Corbusier, was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930. His career spanned five decades, and he designed buildings in Europe, Japan, India, and North and South America. Dedicated to providing better living conditions for the residents of crowded cities, Le Corbusier was influential in urban planning, and was a founding member of the Congrès International d'Architecture Moderne (CIAM). Le Corbusier prepared the master plan for the city of Chandigarh in India, and contributed specific designs for several buildings there. Like his contemporaries Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier did not have formal academic training as an architect. He was attracted to the visual arts and at the age of fifteen he entered the municipal art school in La-Chaux-de-Fonds which taught the applied arts connected with watchmaking. Three years later he attended the higher course of decoration, founded by the painter Charles L'Eplattenier, who had studied in Budapest and Paris. But in further years he moved into architecture very fast.
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Seventeen projects by Le Corbusier in seven countries were inscribed in the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites as The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier, an Outstanding Contribution to the Modern Movement.
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1. Villa Savoye (1928–1931)
Figure 14. Villa Savoye existing situation 1974.
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Figure 18. Roof Plan.
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Figure 19. Entrance view.
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Figure 20. Interior view.
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Figure 21. Roof garden view.
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2. World War II and Reconstruction; Unité d'Habitation in Marseille (1939–1952)
Figure 21. Unité d'Habitation Building 1952.
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This was his first public commission, and was a major breakthrough for Le Corbusier in post World War II career. He gave the building the name of his pre-war theoretical project, the Cité Radieuse, and followed the principles that he had studied before the war, he proposed a giant reinforced concrete framework, into which modular apartments would be fit like bottles into a bottle rack.
Figure 22. Exterior of the Unité d'Habitation
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Like the Villa Savoye, the structure was poised on concrete pylons though, because of the shortage of steel to reinforce the concrete, the pylons were more massive than usual. The building contained 337 duplex apartment modules to house a total of 1,600 people. Each module was three stories high, and contained two apartments, combined so each had two levels (see diagram above). The modules ran from one side of the building to the other, and each apartment had a small terrace at each end. They were ingeniously fitted together like pieces of a Chinese puzzle, with a corridor slotted through the space between the two apartments in each module.
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Residents had a choice of twenty-three different configurations for the units. Le Corbusier designed furniture, carpets and lamps to go with the building, all purely functional; the only decoration was a choice of interior colors that Le Corbusier gave to residents. The only mildly decorative features of the building were the ventilator shafts on the roof, which Le Corbusier made to look like the smokestacks of an ocean liner, a functional form that he admired. The building was designed not just to be a residence, but to offer all the services needed for living. Every third floor, between the modules, there was a wide corridor, like an interior street, which ran the length of the building from one end of the building to the other. This served as a sort of commercial street, with shops, eating places, a nursery school and recreational facilities. A running track and small stage for theater performances was located in the roof. The building itself was surrounded by trees and a small park.
Figure 23. The modular design of the apartments inserted into the building.
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Figure 24. Plans of a typical flat and cross-section drawing showing the double function of two flats.
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Figure 25. Typical flat view. The apartments were equipped with built-in furniture, and specially designed storage walls with various cupboards with sliding doors, which were designed by Charlotte Perriand in collaboration with Atelier Le Corbusier. Additionally Perriand collaborated on the design of the apartment kitchens, 321 of the 337 units were equipped with the Cuisine Atelier Le Corbusier, type 1 kitchens, many of which are still in place due to their efficient use of space. The steel stairs and the aluminium kitchen counters were designed by Jean Prouvé. Unité d'habitation model apartments have been renovated in the individual historic Unité buildings as well as rebuilt in exhibitions around the world.
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Figure 26. Salon and Terrace of an original unit of the Unité d'Habitation, now at the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine in Paris (1952)
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Figure 27. Typical flat view.
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Figure 28. Internal "street corridors" within the Unité d'Habitation building.
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The flat roof is designed as a communal terrace with sculptural ventilation stacks, a running track, and a shallow paddling pool for children. There is also a children's art school in the atelier. The roof, where a number of theatrical performances have taken place. The roof has unobstructed views of the Mediterranean and Marseille.
Figure 29. The south end of the roof with the solarium on the left and the structural framework of the cafeteria beyond. Below the vent is an open-air garden for children, surrounded by low walls and visible in the drawings.
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3. Villa Shodhan (1951-1956)
Figure 30. Villa Shodhan 1955.
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Villa Shodhan (or Shodhan House) is a modernist villa located in Ahmedabad, India. Designed Le Corbusier, it was built between 1951 and 1956. Building on his previous projects whilst integrating the traditional features of Ahmedabad design, the villa symbolizes Le Corbusier's domestic architecture. The building is currently used as a private residence. Key aspects to be considered in designing Villa Shodhan included sun, wind, the view upon arrival and landscaping. They could be addressed above all by the positioning of the facades which, with a diagonal orientation, allowed the incoming visitor a view over three-quarters of the building. The landscaping sets off the building by contrasting the curved mounds of the site with the geometric, rectangular lines of the structure. The rectangles on the north-west and south-west façades are further emphasized through the installation of brise soleil for protection from glare. The design of the Villa Shodhan is structurally simplistic while still retaining plasticity in the treatment of the divided spaces. The overall frame of the building is in raw concrete, with clear markings of the wooden formwork. The frame is anchored to the ground, not elevated on stilts, a feature Le Corbusier used frequently in the 1920s. Standard sheet metal is added to the underside of the interior ceilings and a protective parasol is used as the roof.
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Figure 31. Villa Shodhan concrete frame.
The design of the interior concrete piers, running to the full height of the building’s elevation, is based around the architect's domino skeleton design established in 1915. A ramp provides access to the main and mezzanine levels, while the rooms are grouped around a triple-height terrace. The ramp also leads to accompanying stairs, providing access to the roof and terrace. The terrace plays an important role in the natural climate control process, cooling down the bedrooms in the middle of the day and providing an
Page 52 of 98 alternate sleeping area during the summertime. Upon the parasol roof of Villa Shodhan, there is a garden abundant in thick grass and water troughs. The vision of dense greenery is also reinforced by overrun plants and trees, seeming to camouflage the building and its environment. The roof also features an oval aperture, which matches up with a hole in the lower slab roof, giving visitors a framed view of the sky. This is almost mimicked by the pool, situated at the base of the ramp, aiming to bring the outside in.
Figure 32. Villa Shodhan interior staircase and unique concrete windows.
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Villa Shodhan represent clearly evident of the drastic changes to Le Corbusier style, evident at those areas highlight this change: • Incorporation of nature into design: This is seen through considerations of light, wind, rain and the addition of plants into the building. • Influences from the De Stijl movement: The parasol roof and the connectivity between the interior spaces clearly reflect De Stijl influences. It can also be seen through the façade windows. The angular, strong, geometric form clearly reflects the masculine aspects present in architecture, and confers this onto the Villa Shodhan. The interconnected nature of the ventilation and shade systems also highlights the similarities. For this building to be incorporated into the culture and style of Ahmedabad, Le Corbusier incorporated features of old Ahmedabad houses, including the ancestral Shodhan residence. The most prominent reflection of this is the double height living room on the ground level. Traditionally, the entrance halls of old Ahmedabad houses were double-height, reflecting opulence and status. This readaptation, along with the open plan of the building allowed Villa Shodhan to be integrated into the Indian environment.
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4. Le Corbusier and an Analysis of Form In this handwritten article, Geoffrey Baker traces the development of Le Corbusier's organisation of form. The article analysing key buildings from each phase. The analytical method reveals subtle nuanses of technique in Le Corbusier's design methodology and demonstrates those principles on which his work was based. Geometry is the fundamental science of forms and their order. Geometric figures, forms and transformations build the material of architectural design. In the history of architecture geometric rules based on the ideas of proportions and symmetries formed fixed tools for architectural design. Work of Le Corbusier is an example of an architectural design and formation concept based on the golden section. The concept of symmetry is combined with the idea of harmony and proportion. Symmetry operations are concerned with motions of figures and shapes. Le Corbusier architectural design is based on geometric structures developed out of the idea of transformations. The symmetry transformations are visible as design concepts through history of architecture. The role of geometry in Le Corbusier architectural design processes in this article have been analyzed as follow.
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Space as an architectural concept manifested itself distinctly in the first third of the twentieth century. It was during this period when new architectural and spatial concepts and ideas were not only theoretically conceptualized, but also put into practice by modern architects. "As a rule, F.L. Wright (organic architecture), Le Corbusier (geometric principles), Mies Van de Rohe (free space) are usually called the first of them.
Le Corbusier, one of the fathers of architectural modernism, set the task of creating architectural space with modern functions. Morphological descriptions of the spatial concept were presented by Le Corbusier in five principles of unity of architecture and design. The spatial relationships between the inner and the outer are formed by him with the help of:
• a column, which stands freely in the space of the dwelling; • functional independence of the frame and the wall (not only the outer wall, but also internal partitions of space); • a free plan that allows modeling any spaces inside the building; • a free facade, through which the connection between the inner and the outer can be made due to tape glazing and glass partitions; • an exploited roof, which is an act of additional spatial opening of the house "upwards"
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5. Furniture Design
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Le Corbusier began experimenting with furniture design in 1928 after inviting the architect, Charlotte Perriand, to join his studio. His cousin, Pierre Jeanneret, also collaborated on many of the designs. Before the arrival of Perriand, Le Corbusier relied on ready-made furniture to furnish his projects, such as the simple pieces manufactured by Thonet, the company that manufactured his designs in the 1930s. In 1928, Le Corbusier and Perriand began to put the expectations for furniture Le Corbusier outlined in his 1925 book L'Art Décoratif d'aujourd'hui into practice. In the book he defined three different furniture types: type-needs, type-furniture, and human-limb objects. He defined human-limb objects as: "Extensions of our limbs and adapted to human functions that are type-needs and type-functions, therefore type-objects and type-furniture. The human-limb object is a docile servant. A good servant is discreet and self-effacing in order to leave his master free. Certainly, works of art are tools, beautiful tools. And long live the good taste manifested by choice, subtlety, proportion, and harmony". The first results of the collaboration were three chrome-plated tubular steel chairs designed for two of his projects, These chairs included the LC-1, LC-2, LC-3, and LC-4, originally titled "Basculant" (LC-1), "Fauteuil grand confort, petit modèle" (LC-2, "great comfort sofa, small model"), "Fauteuil grand confort, grand modèle" (LC-3, "great comfort sofa, large model"), and "Chaise longue" (LC-4, "Long chair"). The LC-2 and LC-3 are more colloquially referred to as the petit confort and grand confort (abbreviation of full title, and due to respective sizes). The LC-2 was featured in the Maxell "blown away" advertisement.
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LC4 Chair
Designed in 1928 this chair became famous in 1965. The LC4 is the definitive chaise longue: built in a shape designed for relaxation, the chair was created when the three designers teamed together to put man at the centre of their design, taking the idea that form and function should be at the service of relaxation, creating a perfect balance between its geometric purity and its ergonomic intent. The stability of the frame for any angle of inclination is guaranteed by the friction through rubber tubes that cover the cross bar of the base.
Figure 34. Chaise longue C4 chair
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Figure 35. Chaise longue C4 chair original section drawing.
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LC2 Chair
Known as “the most famous chair of the century”, this chair also known as the LC2, is familiar to everyone. It’s almost omnipresent, because it was designed to fit into any interior. Prototypes for the “Grand Confort”, along with other Le Corbusier furniture designs, were exhibited at the Paris Autumn Salon in 1929.
Figure 35. LC2 leather armchair.
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LC1 SLING CHAIR (1928) There are three versions of this chair which were all designed for diff erent uses: the model that was shown at the Salon d’Automne in 1929, the version created for Villa Church in 1928, and another version created for the 1930 exhibition the Union des Artistes Modernes. This lightweight and compact chair is consist from polished trivalent chrome plated enamel steel frame and saddle leather seat and back.
Figure 36. LC1 Sling Chair views and joinery detail.
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REFERENCES:
Arwas, Victor (1992). Art Deco. Harry N. Abrams Inc. Sarbjit Bahga, Surinder Bahga (2014) Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret: The Indian Architecture, CreateSpace. Bony, Anne (2012). L'Architecture moderne. Larousse. Behrens, Roy R. (2005). Cook Book: Gertrude Stein, William Cook and Le Corbusier. Dysart, Iowa: Bobolink Books. Brooks, H. Allen (1999) Le Corbusier's Formative Years: Charles-Edouard Jeanneret at La Chaux-de-Fonds, Paperback Edition, University of Chicago Press. Eliel, Carol S. (2002). L'Esprit Nouveau: Purism in Paris, 1918–1925. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Curtis, William J.R. (1994) Le Corbusier: Ideas and Forms, Phaidon, Frampton, Kenneth. (2001). Le Corbusier, London, Thames and Hudson. Jencks, Charles (2000) Le Corbusier and the Continual Revolution in Architecture, The Monacelli Press. Jornod, Naïma and Jornod, Jean-Pierre (2005) Le Corbusier (Charles Edouard Jeanneret), catalogue raisonné de l'oeuvre peint, Skira. Journel, Guillemette Morel (2015). Le Corbusier- Construire la Vie Moderne (in French). Editions du Patrimoine: Centre des Monument Nationaux.
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