Le Corbusier

IILeCorbusier(1887-1965)1.Briefintroduction1)LeCorbusierwasthepseudonymofCharles-Edouard-Jeanneret.2)Hewasthemostbrilliantandthemostinfluentialof20-centuryarchitects,ofafertilityofformalinventiontobecomparedonlywithPicasso’s.3)Intheabsenceofanacademiceducation,hedevelopedhispracticalandartisticskillsasamentalengraver,andonstudytriparoundEurope.2.ExperienceHeworkedinPerret’sofficeinParisfrom1908to1909,theninthatofBehrensinBerlinfrom1910to1911.From1914to1915,heworkedoutabuildingtypeadaptedtoindustrialproductionnanedtheMaisonDom-ino,theprototypeforseriesproductions.In1917,hewenttoParisandwasinfluencedbyCubismandPurismpaintings.In1922,heexhibitedtheMaisonCitrohan----asimpleboxcarriedonpilotis.In1925,hedesignedtheEspritNouveauPavilionatanexhibitioninParis,andthenin1927twohousesattheWeibenhofsiedlunginStuttgart.HetookpartinthecompetitionsforthePalaceoftheLeagueofNations(1927)inGenevaandforthepalaceoftheSovietsinMoacow(1931).From1928to1930,hedesignedtheVillaSavoyeatPoissy,whichhasbecomeamonumentofmodernarchitecture.From1930to1932,hedesignedPavillionSuisse,CiteUniversitaireinParis,whichenhancedthedevelopmentofBrutalism.Hewashardlyinvolvedatallinthepost-warreconstructioninParis,buthispost-warworkwasinnowayinferiorinitscreativepowertothatofthepioneeringyearsandwastobemoreinfluential,includingUnited’Habitation,Marseillesfinishedin1952,LaChapelledeRonchampfinishedin1953andtheMonasteryofSteMarie-de-la-Tourettefinishedin1960.HisdesignoftheUnitedNationsBuildinginNewYorkin1950wasrefused,butthatwastheprototypesfornumerousofficebuildingsthroughouttheworldinthe1950sand1960s.AfterthathebegantopursuechangestorealizehisdesignoutsideFranceandsucceededinChandigarh,India.Afterthathegotmorechancestodesigninothercountries,suchasJapanandAmerica.3.Corbusier’sIdeas1)Hewasarestlesssalesmanofhisreformideas.In1920,hebeganhisactivityasapublicistinaperiodicalE’espritnouveau.Andin1923hepublishedhisbookVersuneArchitecture.Inthebook,heformulatedthefamousdefinitionofarchitectureas“thehouseisamachineforlivingin”anditshouldbeaspracticallyconstructedasatypewritertoexpresshis“machineaesthetic”.In1926,heexpressedhisarchitecturalprincipleinthe“Fivepointsforanewarchitecture”:thepilotis,roofterraces,freeplan,continuouswindowstripsandfreefaçadecomposition.the‘Modular’concept2)PayingattentiontourbanproblemsHeworkedoutmanyurbanplanningschemes,firstforParisandthenforsomelargecitiesoutsideFrance.Hebelievedthatanabsoluteauthorityoverlandandfinancescanignorehistoricaldevelopments,thattraffictakespriority,thatthelifeofapersoncanbefulfilledbytheplannedorderingofplacesofproduction,administration,apartmenthousesandsportsfacilities,andthatamodernmetropolisofamillioninhabitantsrequiresavisiblymonumentalexpression.Especiallyinthepost-warperiod,hepaidmoreandmoreattentiontoarchitecturalformsandcompletedseveralindividualandsculpturalcreations.3)FocusingonformPractice1)theMansionDom-ino，19142)theVillaSavoye，France,1928-30TheVillaSavoyeshowsarichvarietyofinteriorandexteriorspacesachievedbymeansofdouble-heightrooms,galleriesandrampswithviewsintotheinterioraswellas‘framedviews’tolookingout,allexpressionsofagenuineluxuryinarchitecturewhichisconceivedasa‘machineforlivingin’.3)PavilionSuisse,CiteUniversitaire,Paris,1930-324)United’Habitation,Marseilles,1946-52TheUnite’d’HabitationatMarseillesmasterfullyaccommodatedinasingleblockahugevolumeofspace,thetechnicalrequirements,theinternalcirculationandallurbandailyrequirements;moreover,italsoprovidestheverytwo-storylivingunitswhichsince1922Corbusierhadbeenelaboratingasmodernhabitat.Comparedwithhorizontallyextendedhousing,theverticalneighborhoodunitswhichincorporatedapartmentsinasingletowerwereofanincomparablygreatersculpturalpowerandexperientialrichness.5)LaChapelledeRonchamp,France,1950-53Corbusier’slaterworksisthattheyarenolongerprototypesfora‘futurearchitecture’andhenceindependentofanyspecificsite;rathertheyareunrepeatable,individualcreations.ThePilgrimageChurchofNotreDame-du-HautatRonchampisahighlyspecificsculpturalcreationwhichderivesfromitsplaceandsocio-religiousfunctionandrepresentsawealthofnovelgeneralandparticularaspects.6)theMonasteryofSteMarie-de-la-Tourette，France,1957-607)LawCourt,Chandigarh,India,1956LeCorbusier’slongperiodasaleadingfigureinmodernarchitecturewasuniqueamongarchitectsofhistimeandisareflectionofhiscapacitytoendowarchitecturewithanexpressionwhichevokesthespiritofhisepoch.Hewasacreatorofformswhichwillendurewellbeyondhistime.